I’ve never seen a more impressive team than LSU in college football history. I’ve been riding them all season and I’m not about to back off now. I fully expect LSU to make easy work of Clemson here.

Joe Burrow won the Heisman and is as good as any quarterback in college football that I can remember. He threw seven touchdowns in the first half against Oklahoma. He is in charge of a record-breaking LSU offense that averages 48.9 points and 564.1 yards per game this season. And it has come against the 7th-toughest schedule in the country.

LSU doubters aren’t impressed with their defense, but the only games they gave up big points and yardage totals were games they were in control of and simply let up. But this LSU defense is playing tremendous down the stretch, giving up just 4.1 yards per play in their last four games overall. They beat Texas A&M 50-7, Georgia 37-10 and Oklahoma 63-28. The Sooners didn’t do anything offensively until garbage time in the 2nd half.

It just shows me that when LSU is locked in, they can shut down anyone defensively. And Clemson was extremely fortunate to beat Ohio State last week as the refs basically gave them that game. And while LSU has played the 7th-toughest schedule, Clemson has payed the 56th-toughest. A common opponent is Texas A&M. Clemson beat Texas A&M 24-10 at home, while LSU beat the Aggies 50-7 at home.

It’s safe to say that Clemson’s defense hasn’t faced an offense nearly as potent as LSU, and certainly not many good passing attacks this season with their easy schedule. So I’d say it’s a bad sign of things to come for Clemson considering they gave up 320 passing yards to Ohio State and 283 to Virginia in their last two games coming in.

Ed Orgeron is 8-1 ATS as a favorite of 3.5 to 10 points as the coach of LSU. LSU is 7-0 ATS after outgaining its last opponent by 175 or more yards this season. LSU is 8-1 ATS vs. good passing teams that average 8 or more yards per attempt over the last three years. LSU is 4-0 ATS in its last four games vs. a team with a winning record. LSU is 4-0 ATS in its last four neutral site games. LSU will go down as one of the best teams in college football history when they throttle Clemson in the National Championship Game. Bet LSU Monday.

The Miami Ohio Redhawks just won the MAC Championship by upsetting Central Michigan in the title game as underdogs. And now head coach Chuck Martin gets to play the disrespect card again with this team in the Lending Tree Bowl as 14-point underdogs to Louisiana-Lafayette.

Miami Ohio played the tougher schedule than Louisiana and certainly isn’t 14 points worse in my book. They aren’t a flashy team with an average offense that doesn’t blow you away. But they do two things that are more important, which is play defense and get great plays from special teams. They have a Top 5 special teams unit in the country. And their defense has been solid in giving up 380.5 yards per game and 5.2 yards per play this season.

Lafayette is the flashy team with the explosive offense that puts up 38.8 points per game. But I question their motivation in this game. They just lost to Appalachian State by 7 points for a second straight year in the Sun Belt Championship Game. That was their Super Bowl, while this will be just another game for them. They know they are heavy favorites and expected to win, so I question their motivation because of it.

It’s only the 2nd bowl game in 9 seasons for the Redhawks, so they are obviously excited to be here. They nearly upset Mississippi State in 2016 as 14-point underdogs in a 16-17 defeat in their last bowl game.

Chuck Martin is 9-1 ATS off an upset win as an underdog as the coach of Miami Ohio. The Redhawks are 11-1 ATS off two straight conference games over the last two seasons. Miami is 4-0 ATS in its last four neutral site games and 4-0 ATS in its last four neutral site games as an underdog. Bet Miami Ohio Monday.

I believe the Tulane Green Wave will be highly motivated for a victory in the Lending Tree Bowl. They lost three straight and five of their final six to fall to 6-6 on the season. They want to end the season with a winning record, and I love betting on 6-6 teams in bowl season because of that reason.

Keep in mind that Tulane’s losses down the stretch came against a brutal schedule. They suffered road losses to Memphis, Navy, Temple and SMU as well as a 3-point home loss to UCF. That’s four 10-win teams and a Temple team that was very tough to beat at home all season.

With that schedule, it’s no surprised that Tulane played the tougher slate of these tewo teams. Their schedule ranked 38 spots harder than Southern Miss. It’s a Golden Eagles team that had a chance to play in the C-USA title game late in the season. But they lost their final two games in blowout fashion. They lost by 18 at home to Western Kentucky as 3-point favorites. They also lost by 17 at Florida Atlantic as 9-point dogs.

Southern Miss only beat one bowl team all season, and that was a bad UAB team that lost their starting QB to injury early in the game. The other six wins came against Alcorn State, Troy, UTEP, North Texas, Rice and UTSA. Basically every time they stepped up in class they lost as the five losses all came by 15 points or more.

Tulane had some impressive stats for a 6-6 team. The Green Wave averaged 33.3 points and 455.2 yards per game while giving up 27.4 points and 378.5 yards per game. They outgained their opposition by 76.7 yards per game on the season, which is impressive when you consider how difficult their schedule was.

Willie Fritz is 27-13 ATS as a favorite in all games he has coached. The Green Wave are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games as a favorite. Tulane is 4-0 ATS in its last four games off an ATS loss. The Green Wave are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 vs. C-USA opponents. The favorite is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings. Bet Tulane Saturday.

The Ohio Bobcats have been dominant in their last two bowl games. They have outscored UAB and San Diego State a combined 68-6 the past two seasons. And they just blasted Bowling Green by 42 and Akron by 49 in their final two games to close out the regular season.

It’s the final game for Ohio senior QB Nathan Roarke, so you know he is going to want to put on a big performance. He has another great season with 20 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions. Roarke also rushed for 780 yards and 12 scored to lead this explosive Ohio offense.

Nevada has to be one of the most fraudulent 7-5 teams I’ve ever season. They were outscored by nearly 11 points per game this season and were also outgunned by 1.2 yards per play. They lost by 71 to Oregon, by 51 to Hawaii, by 26 to Utah State and by 28 to Wyoming. And now they have four defensive starters suspended for this bowl game. I think they’ll be in over their heads here in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

Plays on favorites of 3.5 to 10 points (Ohio) - an excellent offensive team that averages at least 440 yards per game against a bad defense that allows 390 to 440 yards per game after 7-plus games, after gaining 6.75 or more yards per play in their previous game are 38-9 (80.9%) ATS over the last 10 seasons.

Ohio is 4-0 ATS in its last four bowl games. The Bobcats are 18-8 ATS in their last 26 non-conference games. Roll with Ohio Friday.

The Tennessee Vols are ecstatic to be playing in a bowl game for the first time since 2016. They were a juggernaut to close out the season going 6-1 SU & 6-1 ATS in their last seven games overall. Their only loss was a road loss to Alabama as a 34.5-point dog and they actually played the Crimson Tide tough for a half.

Tennessee pulled four outright upsets during this 6-1 stretch and the team is really buying into head coach Jeremy Pruitt. The Vols beat four bowl eligible teams this year and played a much tougher schedule than Indiana did. And they will be playing in SEC country in Jacksonville, so they should have a home-field advantage.

Indiana had a great year as well with an 8-4 season. But the Hoosiers’ eight wins all came against non-bowl teams. They went 0-4 against the bowl teams they did play and weren’t really that competitive in them losing those four games by a combined 82 points, or by an average of 20.5 points per game.

Tennessee is 14-1 ATS in its last 15 road games after two straight games with a turnover margin of -1 or worse. Indiana is 0-4 SU & 1-3 ATS in its last four bowl games. The Hoosiers are 1-5 ATS in their last six neutral site games. The Vols are 4-0 ATS in their last four vs. Big Ten opponents. Bet Tennessee Thursday.

The Boston College Eagles clearly want to be playing in a bowl game after missing out on a bowl last year. They showed that in the season finale as they went into Pitt and came away with an upset road win as 7.5-point underdogs to improved to 6-6 on the season.

Now the Eagles fit into one of my favorite systems. It’s betting on 6-6 teams in bowl games who are off a SU win as an underdog. Those teams have gone 70% ATS in bowl games since 2000. Also, 6-6 teams playing an opponent with 9 or more wins are 22-9 ATS since 2000. Both systems make sense because almost always that 6-6 team is the more motivated team.

Cincinnati had higher hopes than playing in the Birmingham Bowl. The Bearcats were neck-and-neck with Memphis for a New Year’s 6 Bowl. But they lost to Memphis twice, once in the regular season finale and again in the AAC Championship Game. They had a chance to win both those games in the 4th quarter but came up short. I really question their motivation now having to play a 6-6 Boston College team that they cannot be too excited for.

I think this line has been adjusted too much for Boston College having an interim head coach in Rich Gunnell and also for RB AJ Dillon sitting out. Backup RB David Bailey rushed for 811 yards and average 5.8 yards per carry this season. Dillon only averaged 5.3 yards per carry, so Bailey was actually the more explosive back.

Boston College is 15-5-1 ATS in its last 21 games as an underdog. The Eagles are 7-0 ATS as an underdog of 3.5 to 10 points over the last two seasons. Cincinnati is 0-4 ATS in its last four bowl games. Take Boston College Thursday.

Oregon was really close to being 12-0 this season. They had last-second losses to both Arizona State and Auburn on the road. They are probably the fourth-best team in the country and would have made the four-team playoff if they would have won either of those games.

I think the wrong team is favored in this game. Oregon showed it could handle the physicality of both Auburn and Utah, two teams that are similar to this physical Wisconsin team. They thumped Utah 37-15 in the Pac-12 Championship and dominated at the line of scrimmage. RB CJ Verdell rushed for 208 yards on the Utes. QB Justin Herbert will be the best player on the field and wants to improve his draft stock. And Oregon will also have the speed advantage.

Wisconsin is obviously happy to be playing the Rose Bowl, but they have to feel a little deflated from not winning a Big Ten Championship. They had Ohio State down 21-7 at half, but gave up 27 unanswered points and lost 21-34. And don’t forget they lost to Illinois as a 29-point favorite.

Plays against all teams where the line is +3 to -3 (Wisconsin) - after allowing 6.25 or more yards per play in their previous game against an opponent that outgained its last opponents by 125 or more yards are 74-32 (69.8%) ATS over the last five seasons.

Oregon is 48-24 ATS in its last 72 games when the line is +3 to -3. The Ducks are 30-15 ATS in their last 45 games playing with two or more weeks of rest. Oregon is 45-14 ATS in its last 59 games after allowing 3 points or less in the first half last game. Bet Oregon Wednesday.

The Auburn Tigers have a huge talent edge over the Minnesota Golden Gophers in this one. And most of their future NFL players are expected to play in the Outback Bowl, including two outstanding defensive linemen in Derrick Brown and Marlon Davidson. It appears Auburn is ‘all in’ for this game.

The Tigers had a great 9-3 season against the nation’s 2nd-toughest schedule. They had to play Oregon out of conference and beat them. They beat Alabama and Texas A&M. And their three losses came to LSU, Florida and Georgia all on the road and all against 10-win teams.

To compare, Minnesota played the 61st-ranked schedule in the country. That’s a 60-spot difference compared to Auburn in strength of schedule. They played in the weak Big Ten West division and played one of the easiest non-conference schedules you will ever see against South Dakota State, Fresno and Georgia Southern. And the Golden Gophers aren’t as good as their 10-2 record as they won five games by 7 points or less.

Minnesota’s three wins against bowl teams came against Penn State by 5, Georgia Southern by 3 and Illinois. And this will be the toughest team that Minnesota will have faced all season. The other was Wisconsin, and they were manhandled at home by the Badgers and lost by 21 points. They will struggle with Auburn’s physicality at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball as well.

Auburn boasts an elite defense that gives up 18.6 points, 323.9 yards per game and 4.7 yards per play. Teams didn’t have much success throwing against them, and Minnesota is going to need to be able to throw it. Auburn held teams to 5.9 yards per attempt, 1.8 yards per attempt than they normally average. They also held teams to 3.4 yards per carry, which is 1.7 yards per carry less than they normally average.

Auburn is 6-0 ATS in its last six non-conference games. The Tigers are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 games as a favorite. Auburn is 10-3 ATS in its last 13 games overall. Gus Malzahn is 18-8 ATS after scoring 42 points or more last game as the coach of Auburn. I believe the Golden Gophers will be in over their heads here. Take Auburn Wednesday.

I question Utah’s motivation playing in the Alamo Bowl. The Utes would have made the four-team playoff had they beaten Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship. Instead, they got embarrassed 15-37. It’s not a great consolation prize for them to be playing in the Alamo Bowl now.

Texas is looking to build something going into next year. And we saw the Longhorns win outright as 13.5-point underdogs in the Sugar Bowl last year. Georgia wasn’t motivated for that game and was in a similar position to the one Utah is in this year. Georgia missed out on the 4-team playoff with their loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship.

Tom Herman thrives in the role of the underdog. He is 15-5 ATS as a dog as a head coach. He’s also 3-0 in bowl games with three outright wins as an underdog. He beat Georgia last year and also beat Missouri 33-16 as 3-point dogs in 2017. He also beat Florida State 38-24 as 7-point dogs when at Houston in 2015 in the Peach Bowl.

Sam Ehlinger is one of the best quarterbacks in the country. He has completed 65.1% of his passes with a 29-to-9 TD/INT ratio this season. He has rushed for 590 yards and six scores as well.

The Pac-12 is just 5-19-1 ATS in bowl games the last four seasons. Utah is 1-5 ATS in its last six non-conference games. The Utes are 1-4 ATS in their last five neutral site games. The Longhorns are 7-1 ATS in their last eight neutral site games as an underdog. Texas is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 neutral site games overall. Bet Texas Tuesday.

The Wyoming Cowboys were bowl eligible last year, but they were left out of a bowl game. There’s no question they are happy to be going bowling this year and will show up for this Arizona bowl in their part of the country.

Wyoming played a much tougher schedule than Georgia State did. And the Cowboys have the much better defense in this matchup. Wyoming allowed just 17.8 points per game and 5.0 yards per play this season. Georgia State gave up 36.1 points per game and 6.7 yards per play this year.

Both teams struggled down the stretch, but Wyoming was at least competitive in losing three of its last four. All four losses came on the road to Boise State, Utah State and Air Force, and they were in every one of those games in the 4th quarter. Georgia State was not competitive in losing three of its last four. They lost by 14 to Louisiana-Monroe, by 29 to Appalachian State and by 28 to Georgia Southern.

There’s one hidden factor here that is getting overlooked. Georgia State QB Dan Ellington was a stud through the first nine games of the season before tearing his ACL. He rushed for 70 yards per game in the first nine games and was a great dual-threat. But since playing the last three games on a torn ACL, Ellington has rushed for a total of -5 yards in his last three games. I don’t think his injury is being factored into this line enough.

Wyoming is 14-4 ATS when the total is 42.5 to 49 over the last three seasons. The Cowboys are 8-1 ATS in their last nine vs. Sun Belt opponents. Wyoming is 4-1 ATS in its last five bowl games. The Cowboys are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games as favorites. The Panthers are 2-8-2 ATS in their last 12 games vs. a team with a winning record. Take Wyoming Tuesday.

This game fits into one of my favorite bowl systems. Teams that won three or fewer games last year are 18-3 ATS the last four years in bowl games. Navy lost 10 games last year but won 10 games this year. Their only two losses came to a pair of 11-win teams in Memphis & Notre Dame on the road. Two other teams that fit into this system this year were Kent State winning outright as 7-point dogs and North Carolina crushing Temple.

I just think Navy is the better team, and this is a better matchup for them. The Midshipmen led the country in rushing at 360.2 yards per game. Kansas State ranks 62nd against the run, giving up 152 rushing yards per game and 4.9 yards per carry. That’s pretty poor when you consider they don’t face many good rushing attacks in the Big 12.

Navy QB Malcolm Perry is an absolute stud. He is 4th in the country in rushing with 1,804 yards and 21 touchdowns. He also threw for over 1,000 yards this season, so the Midshipmen are a threat in the passing game more than most years with Perry under center.

Military teams have hit about 70% ATS over the last 20 years in bowl games. They are so difficult to prepare for because teams just can’t simulate what they do. They don’t have the personnel to simulate it. And Navy is 4-1 SU & 5-0 ATS in its last five bowl games.

Navy is 6-0 ATS vs. poor passing defenses that allow a completion percentage of 58% or worse this season. The Midshipmen are 7-1 ATS as favorites this season. Navy is 12-3-1 ATS in its last 16 games overall. Kansas State is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 bowl games. The Wildcats are 1-5 ATS in their last six games as underdogs. Roll with Navy Tuesday.

Virginia was just blasted by Clemson 62-17 in the ACC Championship Game. The Cavaliers did not deserve a New Year’s 6 Bowl, but they have been given one due to playing in the ACC title game. Now they’ll get blasted again by another superior team in Florida in the Orange Bowl.

Dan Mullen is one of my favorite coaches in college football. What he has done in just two seasons at Florida has been mighty impressive. Remember, the Gators were just 4-7 before he arrived here last year. He promptly guided the Gators to a 10-3 season and a 41-15 win over Michigan in their bowl game, improves Mullen to 6-2 all-time in bowls.

Mullen has the Gators looking at 11 wins this season as they come in at 10-2 with their only losses coming to Georgia and LSU. They were competitive in both losses, leading LSU 28-21 before losing 28-42 and only losing to Georgia by 7. And both of those games were on the road.

Florida’s offense is one of the most improved units in the country. The Gators put up 56 points against Vanderbilt and another 40 against Florida State in two of their final three games this year. Now they face a Virginia defense that has been absolutely gashed n the 2nd half of the season.

The Cavaliers have allowed at least 27 points in each of their final six games this year. They have allowed an average of 34.3 points per game in those six contests. I know if Florida gets to 34-plus in this game, chances are they will cover this 14-point spread. That’s because they have an elite defense that gives up just 14.4 points per game and they will shut down Virginia’s offense.

Mullen is 7-0 ATS after allowing 7 points or less in the first half of two straight games as the coach of Florida. Bronco Mendenhall is 2-9 ATS in road games vs. good passing teams that average 8 or more yards per attempt as the coach of Virginia. The Gators are 7-2 ATS in their last nine bowl games. Finally, the Gators will have a big home-field advantage with this game being played in Miami. Bet Florida Monday.

I realize this is a very evenly-matched games when you look at the numbers. Both Clemson and LSU are outscoring opponents by 36 points per game on the season. They have nearly identical offensive and defensive numbers as well. But there are several key advantages for Clemson that makes me believe they’ll win this game by a field goal or more over Ohio State.

First and foremost, the Tigers have a huge coaching edge. Dabo Swinney has proven himself time and time again in these big games, going toe-to-toe with Nick Saban and Alabama and taking him down twice in the national title game in recent years. He beat Urban Meyer and Ohio State the last time he faced them in the playoff, 31-0 back in 2016. Ryan Day did a tremendous job at Ohio State this season, but he is overmatched here against Swinney.

Secondly, Clemson has the advantage at quarterback. Trevor Lawrence got off to a slow start this season, but then showed why he was the Heisman favorite coming into the year by dominating down the stretch. Indeed, Lawrence had a 20-to-0 TD/INT ratio over his final six games of the season. Justin Fields struggled a bit against Penn State and Wisconsin in his final two games of the season with a knee injury. He says he is only 80-85% healthy coming into this Fiesta Bowl. He hasn’t been here before, while Lawrence led Clemson to the national title last year.

Swinney is 11-1 ATS vs. good defensive teams that give up 17 or fewer points per game as the coach of Clemson. Clemson is 9-1 ATS vs. good offensive teams that average 450 or more yards per game over the last two seasons. The Tigers are 6-0 ATS vs. good offensive teams that score 31 or more points per game this season. Clemson is 6-0 ATS when playing against a team with a winning record this season. The Tigers are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 bowl games and 10-1 ATS in their last 11 December games. The Buckeyes are 1-4 ATS in their last five vs. ACC opponents. Roll with Clemson Saturday.

The LSU Tigers went 13-0 this season to earn the No. 1 overall seed in the college football playoff. They have had no problem winning by margin this season as 11 of their 13 wins have come by 14 points or more. So I have no problem laying the 13.5 points in the Peach Bowl against Oklahoma.

LSU showed no signs of slowing down late in the season. Each of their final four wins came by 21 points or more. That includes their 43-point win over Texas A&M in the regular season finale, which was one of the single-most impressive wins in all of college football. Then they blasted Georgia by 27 in the SEC Championship.

Oklahoma is far and away the worst team in the four-team playoff and probably doesn’t deserve to be here. The Sooners were fortunate in close games once again this year, going 5-1 in games decided by a touchdown or less. I expect Oklahoma to get exposed in the four-team playoff once again this year.

A big reason Oklahoma played so many close games is because they once again have a poor defense, which gives them little to no chance of competing against elite teams like LSU. Oklahoma will be missing two of its best players on defense in DE Ronnie Perkins and S Delarrin Turner-Yell.

Perkins was suspended, and Turner-Yell was injured in bowl practices leading up to the game. Perkins is their best pass rusher, and Turner-Yell is their second-leading tackler. Both will be missed as Oklahoma tries to slow down this juggernaut of an LSU offense that puts up 48 points and 554 yards per game. Heisman winner Joe Burrow is completing 78% of his passes with a 48-to-6 TD/INT ratio on the season.

Oklahoma is 1-6 ATS in its last seven vs. teams that average 30 or more points per game. LSU is 9-2 ATS vs. good passing teams with a completion percentage of 58% or better over the last two seasons. The Tigers are 6-0 ATS after outgaining their last opponent by 175 or more total yards. The Sooners are 1-5 ATS in their last six games vs. a team with a winning record. Oklahoma is 4-11 ATS in its last 15 neutral site games. LSU is 5-0 ATS in its last five vs. Big 12 opponents. The Tigers are 7-2 ATS in their last nine vs. a team with a winning record. Take LSU Saturday.

Memphis head coach Mike Norvell has bolted for Florida State. I think the Tigers will miss his guidance, leadership and offensive mind heading into this bowl game against Penn State. Offensive line coach Ryan Silverfield will coach the bowl and will be overmatched by James Franklin at Penn State.

Penn State gets back QB Sean Clifford from injury after getting hurt against Ohio State in the next-to-last game of the season. He sat out the Rutgers game, but he’s back now. And I’m backing a Penn State team that played a much tougher schedule (43rd) than Memphis (71st) this season. Their only two losses were to 10-win teams in Ohio State and Minnesota, and both losses were on the road.

Penn State will win the battle in the trenches in this one, especially on defense. Memphis hasn’t seen a defense nearly as good as the one they will face here in the Nittany Lions, who give up just 14.1 points per game this season. They will be able to slow down QB Brady White and this Memphis offense.

Memphis is just 1-10 ATS in its last 11 December games. The Tigers are 0-6 ATS in their last six neutral site games as an underdog. Memphis is 0-4 ATS in its last four bowl games. Penn State is 20-9-2 ATS in its last 21 against a team with a winning record. Outright winners have gone 16-0-1 ATS in the last 17 Cotton Bowls, and I don’t expect the spread to come into play in this one either as the Nittany Lions win by double-digits. Bet Penn State Saturday.

I’ve been riding Air Force quite a bit this season and I’ll continue to do so in the Cheez-It Bowl against Washington State. The Falcons went 10-2 this season with their only losses coming against a pair of 10-win teams in Boise State and Navy. They beat a Pac-12 opponent outright as a road underdog in Colorado, 30-23.

I’ll back the better running team and the more motivated team here in the Falcons. It’s the first bowl for Air Force since 2016, so they are excited to be here. They average 293 rushing yards per game, which ranks 3rd in the nation. And they’re up against an awful Washington State defense that gives up 31.4 points and 457 yards per game, including 170 rushing yards per game and 4.9 per carry.

Washington State absolutely never sees the triple-option, and they certainly do not have the personnel to prepare for it in bowl practices. Their players won’t be excited to be playing in the Cheez-It Bowl this year after winning 10 games and getting to play in the Alamo Bowl last year. And they won’t be excited trying to prepare to face the triple-option because they won’t be looking forward to getting cut blocked the whole game.

Air Force does boast a really good defense that gives up just 19.7 points per game this year. They are holding opponents to nearly 8 points per game less than their season averages. The Falcons only give up 208 passing yards per game as well. And one of the big reasons Air Force is so improved this season is because they actually have a passing game, averaging 131 passing yards per game and 13.8 per attempt.

Mike Leach is not a good bowl coach, either. He is 1-4 ATS as the coach of Washington State and 1-8 ATS in his last nine bowl games dating back to his time at Texas Tech. Pac-12 teams are just 1-5 ATSin the last six Cheez-It Bowls, and Pac-12 teams are 3-17-1 ATS in their last 21 bowl games coming into this season. The Falcons are 21-7 ATS in their last 28 non-conference games. The Cougars are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games overall. Take Air Force Friday.

I like Texas A&M quite a bit in the Texas Bowl Friday. The Aggies are perhaps the best 7-5 team in the country, and Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy even acknowledged it saying the same thing leading up to this game. I know he was doing it for gamesmanship reasons, but he’s not wrong.

Indeed, all five of Texas A&M’s losses this season came to teams that are ranked inside the Top 10 in Jeff Sagarin’s power ratings. They lost to three #1 teams at the time they played them in Clemson, Alabama and LSU. They also lost to Georgia and Auburn.

The good news for Texas A&M is that Oklahoma State is nowhere near the Top 10. The Cowboys only beat two bowl teams en route to an 8-4 finish in Kansas State and Iowa State. They were fortunate to beat West Virginia as they managed just 285 total yards on the Mountaineers in their second-to-last game of the season. And they were blasted by 18 at home by Oklahoma in their season finale while amassing only 335 total yards.

Texas A&M is 7-0 against non-Top 10 teams while winning by a whopping 25.4 points per game this season. The Aggies have the edge defensively in this matchup. They give up just 22.7 points per game and 341 yards per game on the season. Oklahoma State has the much worse defense, yielding 27 points per game and 418 yards per game.

I believe the Aggies come in playing with a chip on their shoulder. They finished the season with two road losses at Georgia and at LSU. They want to end their season on a winning note, and Jimbo Fisher 6-2 in his career in bowl games, including last season’s 52-13 dismantling of NC State.

Plays against any team (Oklahoma State) - in a game involving two average defensive teams (21-28 PPG) after seven-plus games, after a loss by 17 points or more are 53-19 (73.6%) ATS over the last five seasons. The Aggies are 16-5-1 ATS in their last 22 games as a favorite. Texas A&M is 11-1 ATS in its last 12 non-conference games. Bet Texas A&M Friday.

The North Carolina Tar Heels are excited to be playing in the Military Bowl. They won their final two games of the season to get to 6-6 and qualify for their first bowl since 2016. They certainly want to send Mack Brown out a winner in his first season back to coaching because his players love him. I know I’m going to get a max motivated team here, and Brown is 13-8 in bowl games in his career.

No question UNC was better than its 6-6 record would indicate this season. In fact, all six of their losses came by 7 points or less. That includes their 1-point loss to Clemson. They were the only team in the country to take Clemson down to the wire this year. They have an explosive offense that puts up 31.2 points and 469 yards per game. They only gave up 382 yards per game defensively, outgaining opponents by 87 yards per game.

Temple went 8-4 this season, but their only significant wins all came at home. They lost on the road to Buffalo by 16, to SMU by 24 and to Cincinnati by 2. They were also blasted at home by UCF by 42 points. Their non-conference wins over Georgia Tech and Maryland certainly don’t look nearly as good now as they did at the beginning of the season.

I definitely to not trust Temple head coach Rod Carey in bowl games. Carey is 0-6 SU & 0-6 ATS lifetime in bowl games as a head coach. His teams are losing by 25 points per game straight up on average, and failing to cover the spread by 18 points per game on average. Favorites are 9-2 SU & 7-4 ATS in the last 11 Military Bowls.

Teams with three or fewer wins the previous season (UNC 2-9) have gone 17-3 ATS the last four seasons in bowl games. The Tar Heels are 4-1 ATS in their last five games as a favorite. The Owls are 2-5 ATS in their last seven neutral site games. Roll with North Carolina Friday.

Louisiana Tech is one of only two teams entering the bowl season with five consecutive bowl wins the last five years; Wisconsin is the other. LA Tech head coach Skip Holtz is 5-0 SU & 4-1 ATS in bowl games at LA Tech with four of those wins coming by 17 points or more. He clearly has this whole bowl prep thing figured out, pushing the right buttons with his players.

LA Tech will have no problem getting motivated to face a storied program like Miami. Not to mention, this will essentially feel like a home game for LA Tech considering it will be played in Shreveport, Louisiana. Motivation and location will be on their side.

A program like Miami cannot be excited to be playing in the Independence Bowl. Miami ended the season with two huge upset losses to Florida International as 21-point favorites and to Duke as 8-point favorites. They also nearly lost to Central Michigan as 30.5-point favorites earlier in the season. Head coach Manny Diaz clearly isn’t getting his team’s attention as they aren’t responding to him. It was a bad hire, plain and simple. And many of his players may be sitting out either due to injury or to prepare for the NFL.

Louisiana Tech probably would have gone 11-1 this season if not for suspension to two of their best players. QB Jamar Smith and WR Adrian Hardy both out out in their losses to Marshall and UAB, which likely cost them the C-USA title. Both returned for the season finale and led the Bulldogs to 41 points in a win over UTSA. And now the Bulldogs want to cap off their season on a positive note with 10 wins and an upset victory over Miami.

Miami is 5-15 ATS in its last 20 games off an upset loss to a conference opponent as a favorite of 6 points or more. LA Tech is 6-0 ATS in road games after failing to cover the spread in two of their last three games over the past three seasons. The Bulldogs are 8-0 ATS in road games off one or more consecutive ATS losses over the last three years. LA Tech is 6-1 ATS in its last seven bowl games. Miami is 1-7 ATS in its last eight bowl games. The Hurricanes are 1-7 ATS in their last eight neutral site games as a favorite. Roll with Louisiana Tech Thursday.

The BYU Cougars played a much tougher schedule than Hawaii this year. They beat the likes of USC, Tennessee, Boise State and Utah State, which are four teams that are better than anyone Hawaii has beaten this year.

Hawaii lost badly to Boise State twice losing by 22 and 21 points. The Rainbow Warriors are 9-4 this season, but only two of those wins came against bowl teams in Nevada and San Diego State, which are two teams that aren’t very good anyway. I just think this is a big step up in class for Hawaii and they have failed every time they’ve stepped up in class.

BYU owns Hawaii, going 5-0 SU & 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings. The Cougars will take this bowl game seriously as it is a great destination for them. Plus, the Cougars are a veteran team with grown men with the way thinks work at BYU. They won’t be distracted at all in Hawaii.

BYU has been through three different quarterbacks this year. If they had stayed healthy all season, they probably would have finished even better than 7-5. But they finally have some stability at the position now with QB Zach Wilson starting the final few games of the year, and he’ll make the start here.

I’ll gladly back the better defense and the more physical team that played the tougher schedule laying a short number in this matchup. BYU gave up just 24.4 points per game this season, including 22.0 points per game on the road. Hawaii gave up 31.7 points per game this season, including 32.6 points per game and 461.9 yards per game at home. BYU will get key stops, while Hawaii will not, and their physicality will be tested big-time.

Hawaii is 1-9 ATS off a road loss over the last three seasons. I think the Rainbow Warriors could still be deflated from losing to Boise State in the MWC Title game. Hawaii is 0-6 ATS vs. good passing teams averaging 250 or more passing yards per game over the last two years. Hawaii is 1-8 ATS vs. good offensive teams averaging 5.9 or more yards per play over the last two seasons. The Rainbow Warriors are 7-19 ATS in their last 26 games vs. a team with a winning record. The Cougars are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 vs. MWC opponents. Take BYU Tuesday.

Marshall is very familiar with the Gasparilla Bowl as they will be playing in it for the second straight year and their third time in five years. They are happy to be playing a team the caliber of UCF, so motivation certainly won’t be in question for them.

I do question UCF’s motivation. The Knights played in a New Year’s 6 Bowl each of the last two seasons facing Auburn in the Peach Bowl and LSU in the Fiesta Bowl. This Gasparilla Bowl is a big step down in prestige, and they cannot possibly be motivated to face Marshall this postseason.

UCF has been overvalued all season and especially down the stretch. The Knights are just 2-7 ATS in their last nine games overall. They have been consistently laying too many points, and they are again here against Marshall.

Marshall has been a postseason juggernaut. Indeed, the Thundering Herd are 12-1 SU & 12-1 ATS in their last 13 bowl games overall. Head coach Doc Holiday is 6-0 SU & 6-0 ATS in bowl games at Marshall, so he clearly takes these games seriously and knows the right buttons to push to get his teams ready. The Thundering Herd have won those six bowl games by an average of 12.8 points per game.

The Knights are 2-7 ATS in their last nine games as a favorite. UCF is 1-4 ATS in its last neutral site games. The Thundering Herd are 7-0 ATS in their last seven bowl games. Marshall is 17-5 ATS in its last 22 games on grass. The Thundering Herd are 10-3 ATS in their last 13 games as an underdog. Roll with Marshall Monday.

This game between Washington and Boise State will be played close to the vest. Washington coach Chris Petersen has said he will retire following this game. And he takes on his former team in Boise State. This game means a lot to both teams, and I think defense wins out.

These are two very good defenses as Washington allows just 20.4 points per game this season, while Boise State gives up only 20.6 points per game. Washington held opponents to 8.0 points per game less than their season averages this season, while Boise State limited foes to 6.6 points per game less than their season averages.

Helping out this UNDER will be two key players who are sitting out for Washington. LT Trey Adams will sit out to prepare for the NFL. But the bigger loss is TE Hunter Bryant, who will also sit out to get ready for the pros. Bryant is Washington’s leading receiver with 52 receptions for 825 yards on the season. He will be missed in the passing game.

Boise State is 7-0 UNDER in its last seven vs. good teams that outscore opponents by 10-plus points per game. The UNDER is 9-2 in Broncos last 11 games vs. a team with a winning record. The UNDER is 6-1 in Huskies last seven neutral site games as a favorite. Boise State is 9-1 UNDER after having won six or seven of its last eight games over the last two seasons. Washington is 8-1 UNDER in road games off a conference game over the last two years. Take the UNDER in this game Saturday.

I question Florida Atlantic’s motivation. The Owls lost head coach Lane Kiffin to Ole Miss, and he took some of his staff with him. And the players know that Willie Taggart will be their coach next year. I don’t expect them to take this bowl game too seriously. Plus, they have to stay at home instead of going to a destination bowl, which I look at as a negative. Oddsmakers are giving the Owls too many points for home-field advantage.

SMU was really close to being 12-0 this season. The Mustangs’ only two losses both came on the road to Memphis and Navy by 6 and 7 points, respectively. Those are two 10-win teams. You know that this veteran team that returned 16 starters wants to end their season on a high not with 11 wins. They will be motivated.

SMU played a schedule that ranked 75th in the country while FAU played a schedule that ranked 115th. That’s a 40-spot difference in strength of schedule. The Mustangs are the most battle-tested team by far, and FAU doesn’t have any wins against a team the caliber of SMU this season. They lost to Ohio State in the opener by 24, then were thumped by UCF 14-48 at home, a fellow AAC team with SMU. The Mustangs beat North Texas 49-27, a fellow C-USA team to FAU.

Sonny Dykes is 14-4 ATS in road games in non-conference games in all games he has coached. FAU is 1-9 ATS in its last 10 home games after allowing 125 or fewer passing yards in its previous game. We’re getting the better team with the better motivation laying only 3 points in this bowl game, which is a huge discount. Bet SMU Saturday.

Note: I took SMU -3 before the suspensions came out for FAU. I still like SMU up to -10. The suspensions are worth at least 7 points. FAU will be without its top 3 receivers, including TE Harrison Bryant, the Mackey Award winner for the nation's best TE. FAU doesn't have another played eligible who caught more than 15 passes this season. Leading tackler Keke Leroy will be missed. He had 101 tackles, five forced fumbles and three INT this season. And leading rusher Malcolm Davidson (711 yards) is out.

Kent State will be playing in just their 2nd bowl game since 1972. They are excited to be here, especially when you look at the gauntlet they had to go through to get here. They had to face Arizona State, Auburn & Wisconsin all on the road in non-conference play.

The Golden Flashes opened 3-6 before winning their final three games all in upset fashion over Buffalo, Ball State & Eastern Michigan. 6-6 teams off a SU win as an underdog are 70% ATS since 2000. This bowl trend makes sense to me because these teams had to pull an upset in their final game to get here, so they clearly want to be here. And Kent State just pulled three straight upsets. They have been undervalued all season with an 8-4 ATS mark. And I think they’re being undervalued again here.

Utah State went from winning 11 games last year to going just 7-5 this year and having to play Kent State in the Frisco Bowl. I don’t think they’re too excited to be here. And clearly their players aren’t taking it too seriously. QB Jordan Love, RB Gerold Bright & WR Sean Carter were cited for pot possession over the weekend.

Love is a potential first-round draft pick and has stated he will be skipping his senior season. But he has struggled this year with a 17-to-16 TD/INT ratio. Bright is their leading rusher with 827 yards and 8 touchdowns. Early indications are all three players will play, otherwise we’d see a much bigger line move. But it’s not going to matter. If would be an added bonus if they sit.

The only four teams Utah State beat by more than 6 points this year were Stony Brook, Colorado State, New Mexico and Nevada. Only one of those was a bowl team in Nevada, and they aren’t very good. Utah State gave up 35 points per game over their final six games and have a leaky defense. Kent State has scored at least 30 points in five of its last six and will expose that leaky defense.

Sean Lewis is 6-0 ATS in road games against poor defensive teams that allow 425 or more yards per game as the coach of Kent State. Kent State is 6-0 ATS vs. good passing teams that average 250 or more passing yards per game over the last three seasons. The Golden Flashes are 8-1 ATS when the total is 63 or higher over the last two seasons. Bowl teams that won three or fewer games the previous season have gone 16-2 ATS over the last three years in bowl games. Bet Kent State Friday.

The Buffalo Bulls are in search of their first bowl win in program history. The Charlotte 49ers are just happy to be in their first ever bowl game. I think the Bulls are the superior team in this matchup, and the weather conditions with near-30 mile per hour winds in the Bahamas will favor the Bulls.

I would argue that Buffalo was the best team in the MAC even though they didn’t win the MAC title. They went 5-3 in MAC play with all three losses called into question. They outgained MAC champ Miami Ohio by by 133 yards but lost the turnover battle 4-0 in their loss to the Redhawks. They only lost 20-21 to Ohio as 3-point dogs despite outgaining the Bobcats by 37 yards. And they blew a 27-6 lead to Kent State in the final eight minutes to lost 27-30.

That’s how close the Bulls were to being 8-0 in MAC play. Not to mention, they beat Temple 38-22 as 14-point dogs in non-conference, and actually led Penn State at halftime on the road and hung right with the Nittany Lions in the stat department. They actually outgained Penn State by 72 yards in a misleading final.

Buffalo comes in having scored 43-plus points in four of their last five games overall. The Bulls rely on their ground attack that has produced two 1,000-yard rushers. They rush for 254 yards per game and 5.0 yards per carry. With the high winds in the Bahamas, the team that runs the ball better will win and cover this game.

Charlotte also has a solid ground attack at 210 rushing yards per game and 5.1 per carry. However, it’s on defense where Buffalo has the huge advantage. The Bulls only allow 95 rushing yards per game and 2.9 yards per carry. Charlotte gives up a whopping 193 rushing yards per game and 5.0 per carry. The 49ers have the better passing attack, but that will be a non-factor in this weather.

Buffalo is 10-1 ATS after having won two of their last three games over the last three seasons. The Bulls are 7-0 ATS off three consecutive games where they forced one or fewer turnovers over the last three seasons. Buffalo is 6-1 ATS in its last seven games overall. Charlotte is 5-13 ATS in its last 18 non-conference games. Take Buffalo Friday.

The Navy Midshipmen have a chance to win 10 games with a victory over Army. And you can bet they want revenge from three straight losses to the Black Knights by seven points or less. It’s time for the Midshipmen to return to their dominance in this series.

It has been a tremendous bounce-back season for Navy. They are 9-2 SU & 8-3 ATS in their 11 games this year, outscoring opponents by 15.1 points per game. Their offense has lit up opponents for 39.3 points per game, and their defense is greatly improved in allowing just 24.2 points per game.

Army has come back down to early this season with a 5-7 record. They will not be going to a bowl game after losing by 21 at Hawaii in their final game of the season, which was a poor showing against a Rainbow Warriors team that didn’t have anything to play for. Army had everything to play for as they needed a win there to make a bowl game. They wouldn't get in at 6-7 now.

Army went 5-7 despite playing the 124th-ranked schedule in the country according to Sagarin. Navy played a much tougher slate in the AAC as their schedule ranked 73rd. Navy is also 18 points better than Army on a neutral field according to Sagarin, and I have to agree he’s pretty close. That’s why I’m laying the double-digits here with the Midshipmen, among the other motivational reasons.

Navy is holding opponents to just 110 rushing yards per game and 3.4 per carry. They are holding foes to 63 yards per game and 0.9 per carry less than their season average. Army is giving up 4.2 per carry this season and hasn’t faced many good rushing attacks. Army is 1-9 ATS in its last 10 games as a neutral field dog of 7.5 to 14 points. Bet Navy Saturday.

LSU has been one of the three best teams in college football all season. The Tigers have had few scares and have been in control in basically every game they’ve played from start to finish. Their high-powered offense has only gotten better as the season has gone on.

The Tigers have scored 46 or more points in four straight games, including wins over Alabama & Texas A&M. They are scoring 48.7 points per game and averaging 560.4 yards per game on the season. It’s the best offense in school history, and not one I want to step in front of right now. It will be the best offense that Georgia has seen yet this season, and it’s not really even close. They certainly haven’t faced a QB and passing attack near the caliber of Heisman winner Joe Burrow and company.

Georgia definitely has one of the best defenses in the land. But I question if Jake Fromm can keep up with LSU. The Bulldogs have scored 27 or fewer points in six of their last seven games overall. Ed Orgeron said his defense hadn’t shown its best stuff yet heading into the Texas A&M game last week. And the Tigers promptly beat the Aggies 50-7 and held them to 159 yards while forcing 3 turnovers. A lot of the yardage and points the Tigers have given up have been in blowouts this season, so their season-long stats are a little misleading. When they need stops, they can get them.

Georgia will be missing its leading receiver George Pickens for the 1st half due to suspension. He has 33 receptions for 498 yards and six touchdowns this year. Second-leading receiver Lawrence Cager is now out for the season with an ankle injury. He has 33 receptions for 476 yards and four scores. Not having these two will make Fromm’s job even more difficult. Plus, leading rusher D’Andre Swift (1,203 yards, 7 TD) is nursing a shoulder injury. One bad hit and he could be out of this game.

Ed Orgeron is 6-0 ATS vs. dominant ball control teams that average 32-plus possession minutes and 21-plus first downs as the coach of LSU. Georgia will have to abandon its plan to run the football and control the clock in this one once they find themselves behind. And Fromm isn’t good enough, nor does he have the weapons to play catch-up. Take LSU Saturday.

Central Michigan could be found as high as 300-1 to win the MAC after losing to Wisconsin 61-0 in their 2nd game of the season. They’ve been money makers ever since and grossly undervalued all season. And now they are the favorites to win the MAC title for good reason.

The Chippewas are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 games overall. They have been dominant statistically in MAC play, outgaining opponents by 168 yards per game. Miami Ohio is actually getting outgained by 6 yards per game in MAC play this season.

The Redhawks didn’t play well down the stretch once they clinched the MAC title game. They barely beat Akron 20-17 as 29-point favorites. And last week they lost 27-41 to Ball State in a game that was an even bigger blowout than the score showed. They were outgained by 303 yards by Ball State.

QB Brett Gabbert left that game with an injury and is questionable to return this week. Backup QB Jackson Williamson went 4-for-11 for 52 yards with two interceptions in his place. I don’t think it matters who starts for the Redhawks because they’ll get blown out either way.

Central Michigan has scored at least 38 points in six of its last seven games overall. The Chippewas are averaging 38 points & 515 yards per game in MAC play this season. They are loaded at receiver and running back with great overall speed. Their top two running backs in Ward and Lewis have combined for over 2,000 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns. That will help them on the fast track at Ford Field in Detroit. Plus, they will have the home-field advantage with a short drive from Mount Pleasant to Detroit.

The Chippewas have the best defensive line in the MAC. They give up just 120 rushing yards per game and 3.5 per carry this season. Miami Ohio allows 180 rushing yards per game and 4.2 per carry. While these teams are pretty even defensively overall, there’s no question the Chippewas have a massive advantage on offense. The Redhawks only average 24.6 points and 308.7 yards per game on the season, including 17.4 points and 281 yards per game on the road.

The Chippewas are 8-0 ATS in their last 8 games after scoring more than 40 points in their previous game. Central Michigan is 5-0 ATS in its last five games as a favorite. The Chippewas will cap off a tremendous turnaround from 1-11 to 9-4 with a blowout win over Miami Ohio and a MAC title. Bet Central Michigan Saturday.

15* CFB Saturday Total DOMINATOR on Lafayette/Appalachian State UNDER 56

Appalachian State and Louisiana-Lafayette will be facing each other for the 4th time in two seasons. They met in the regular season and Sun Belt Championship Game last year, and they met in the regular season and will face each other again in the Sun Belt title game against this year.

It’s safe to say these teams are familiar with one another, and familiarity favors the defenses. That has proven to be the case in the three previous meetings. The UNDER is 3-0 and has gone under the total by an average of 25 points per game in the previous three meetings. They have combined for 44, 49 and 24 points in the three meetings, so you can see there’s value with the UNDER 56 tonight.

In their first meeting this season, Appalachian State won 17-7 at LA-Lafayette. The Mountaineers managed only 343 total yards with most of those coming on their final drive that sealed the win for them. The Rajin’ Cajuns managed only 254 yards in the loss. It will be more of the same here as both defenses win out in this one.

Appalachian State is giving up just 18.7 points and 321.2 yards per game on the season, including 16.4 points and 277.6 yards per game in Sun Belt play. Louisiana-Lafayette is giving p just 17.8 points per game on the season and 16.4 points per game in Sun Belt play. Their numbers are nearly identical with Appalachian State, and both defenses are the reason these teams are in the title game.

Louisiana-Lafayette is 9-1 UNDER vs. good offensive teams that score 31 or more points per game over the last two seasons. The UNDER is 6-1 in Rajin’ Cajuns last seven games overall. The UNDER is 6-1 in the last seven meetings. The UNDER is 6-2 in Mountaineers last eight games overall. Roll with the UNDER in this game Saturday.

The biggest reason I’m on the UNDER tonight is due to the weather. Forecasts are calling for 20-plus MPH winds with around a 75% chance of precipitation during the game in Santa Clara. The weather conditions are going to make it difficult for both teams to throw the ball. This is going to be a run and punt and play field position type of game.

Both Utah and Oregon have the two best defenses in the Pac-12. The Utes are giving up just 11.2 points and 241.6 yards per game on the season. The Ducks are giving up just 15.7 points and 331.3 yards per game on the year. Both teams have been dominant against the run with the Utes allowing 56 rushing yards per game and 2.3 per carry, and the Ducks allowing 106 rushing yards per game and 3.2 per carry.

The UNDER is 8-2-1 in Utes last 11 conference games. The UNDER is 5-1 in Utes last six vs. a team with a winning record. The UNDER is 7-2 in Ducks last nine games on grass. It’s a poor playing surface at Levi’s Stadium, especially when it gets wet. The weather will favor a defensive battle, and the books can’t set this number low enough. Bet the UNDER in this game Friday.

Hawaii just clinched the MWC’s West Division with a 14-11 home win over San Diego State last week. The Rainbow Warriors have nothing to play for, and now they’d rather focus their attention on the MWC Championship Game against Boise State next week. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they lay down today instead of expending the energy it takes to try and shut down a triple-option team like Army.

Hawaii hasn’t had a bye since the beginning of October. They will be playing for an 8th straight week here. That’s all the more reason for them to not expend energy here, plus even if they wanted to they can’t have much left in the tank. Meanwhile, Army is coming off a bye week and has another bye on deck before facing Navy. They will be ‘all in’ here because they sit at 5-6 and need to win their final two games to make a bowl.

Army is clearly fresh off the bye, but also because it won a couple laughers going into the bye. The Black Knights won 63-7 over UMass and 47-6 over VMI in their two games preceding the bye. And this is a great matchup for them as they rush for 303 yards per game and 5.3 per carry. Hawaii allows 188 rushing yards per game and 5.6 per carry on the season. It’s strength vs. weakness here, so the situation and the matchup favor the Black Knights.

Army is 8-0 ATS in road games after gaining 275 or more rushing yards last game over the past three seasons. Nick Rolovich is 0-7 ATS vs. good teams who outscore their opponents by 10-plus points per game as the coach of Hawaii. The Black Knights are 7-1 ATS int heir last eight road games vs. a team with a winning record. Take Army Saturday.

This is the ultimate flat spot for the Penn State Nittany Lions. They just lost a grueling 17-28 game at Ohio State with the Big Ten East title on the line. After losing that game, the Nittany Lions could care less about beating Rutgers by any kind of margin this week. And unless they are giving 100%, they aren’t going to cover this massive 41-point spread.

Not to mention, Penn State QB Sean Clifford was knocked out of the Ohio State game with a leg injury and is questionable to play Saturday. Look for the Nittany Lions to pull their starters in the second half of this game and to just try and get out of here with a win rather than looking to run up the score.

Rutgers will be looking at this game like its Super Bowl. And the Scarlet Knights have been more competitive here down the stretch. They beat Liberty outright as 7.5-point dogs, they covered as 51.5-point dogs in a 21-56 loss to Ohio State, and they lost 27-0 to Michigan State last week. They haven’t quit, and they will be trying to give Penn State all they can handle Saturday.

Rutgers hasn’t lost by more than 39 to Penn State since joining the Big Ten in 2014. They only lost 20-7 last year as 28.5-point dogs. They covered as 31-point dogs in 2017 in a 35-6 loss. They lost 39-0 in 2016 and 28-3 in 2015. They covered as 3.5-point dogs in a 13-10 loss in 2014. Don’t expect the Scarlet Knights to lose by 41-plus points for the first time against Penn State this week.

Penn State has actually been outgained in six of its 11 games this season, so it is nowhere near as good as its 9-2 record would indicate. The Nittany Lions are 0-4 ATS in their last four home games. James Franklin is 3-15 ATS off a loss as the coach of Penn State. He hasn’t been good at getting his team to respond following a defeat. And he certainly has his hands full getting his players to show up this week after losing to Ohio State last week. Bet Rutgers Saturday.

The New Mexico State Aggies lost their first nine games of the season against an absolutely brutal schedule. They schedule finally eased up, and they were able to pick up back-to-back wins over Incarnate Word 41-28 as 8-point favorites and UTEP 44-35 as 7-point favorites. They have shown some fight here down the stretch, and they’ll certainly show up here against Liberty.

This is quickly becoming a rivalry because these teams have played twice a year each of the last two years since they both don’t have a conference as Independents. Each of the three meetings over the last two seasons have been decided by 8 points or less. New Mexico State wants revenge from a 13-20 home loss to Liberty in a game they deserved to win, but lost the turnover battle 3-0. They outgained Liberty 396 to 337 in that contest.

Liberty has benefited from playing one of the easiest schedules in the country. They have played the 127th schedule compared to the 96th schedule for New Mexico State. And after finally facing some decent teams in BYU and Virginia, losing by 28 to Virginia last week, I just can’t see Liberty being all that motivated this week to beat NMSU for a second time. They are already bowl eligible at 6-5 this season.

Plays on road teams (New Mexico State) - after gaining 225 or more rushing yards in two straight games against an opponent that was outrushed by 125 or more yards last game are 55-25 (68.8%) ATS over the last five seasons. The Aggies are simply catching too many points here. Take New Mexico State Saturday.

The Michigan Wolverines turned their season around in the second half against Penn State, coming back from a 21-0 deficit and coming a dropped pass away from sending that game to overtime. They really deserved to win that game as they outgunned the Nittany Lions by 124 yards. In fact, the Wolverines have outgained 10 of their 11 opponents this season. I think they’re every bit as good as Ohio State right now, and it will show on the field Saturday.

The Wolverines came back the next week after the Penn State loss and crushed a very good Notre Dame team 45-14 at home. They outgained the Fighting Irish by 257 yards in the win, so there was nothing fluky about it. They went on to beat Maryland 38-7 and Michigan State 44-10. And last week, I actually faded Michigan and took Indiana thinking it was a sandwich spot. It wasn’t, and the Wolverines remained focused and handled their business in a 39-14 win as 10-point favorites.

Ohio State has been grossly overvalued here down the stretch after a great start to the season against a soft schedule. The Buckeyes failed to cover as 52-point favorites in a 56-21 win at Rutgers. And last week they found themselves fighting Penn State tooth and nail at home, pulling out the eventual 28-17l win as 20-point favorites.

Ohio State QB Justin Fields suffered an ankle injury in that Penn State game that hampered him and will continue to slow him this week. That’s a huge advantage for this Michigan defense as he won’t be the dual-threat he usually would be. And stopping the run is the key to stopping Ohio State as Fields is suspect as a passer.

The Wolverines have the clear answer for Ohio State’s rushing attack. Michigan allows just 106 rushing yards per game and 2.8 per carry. They are holding opponents to 68 rushing yards per game and 1.7 per carry less than their season averages. They have one of the best run defenses in the country. And while Michigan is almost fully healthy with only two players on the injury report, Ohio State has a plethora of injuries with 13 players on the injury report and a ton with a questionable tag.

Michigan QB Shea Patterson has taken his game to the next level this season and is capable out out dueling Fields in this one. He is completing 59.5% of his passes for 2,523 yards with a 21-to-5 TD/INT ratio this season while averaging 8.4 yards per attempt. And Patterson has been really good during the current four-game winning streak with all four wins by 25 points or more and the offense averaging 41.5 points per game He has a 12-to-1 ratio in his last four games.

Michigan wants this game like blood. The Wolverines have lost seven straight in this series to Ohio State. Jim Harbaugh was brought in here to beat Ohio State, and it’s time in Year 4. I think this is the perfect spot to do so, and he finally has the team to get it done. The game doesn’t mean as much for the Buckeyes, who clinched the Big Ten East division last year. They could lose this game and still win the Big Ten title next week against Wisconsin or Minnesota and make the four-team playoff. A loss won’t keep them out. This is Michigan’s Super Bowl.

Plays on underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points (Michigan) - in a game involving two dominant teams who are outgaining their opponents by 1.2 or more yards per play, after gaining 450 or more total yards in two straight games are 38-13 (74.5%) ATS over the last five seasons.

Michigan is 6-0 ATS in home games vs. good offensive teams that score 31 or more points per game over the last three seasons. Jim Harbaugh is 10-1 ATS vs. excellent rushing defensive that allow 2.75 or fewer yards per carry in all games as a head coach. Harbaugh is 9-2 ATS vs. excellent rushing teams that average 5.25 or more yards per carry as the coach of Michigan. The Wolverines are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games overall. Bet Michigan Saturday.

The Marshall Thundering Herd are still playing to try and win C-USA’s East Division. They need a win and a Florida Atlantic loss to Southern Miss this week to get in. They have the tiebreaker over both FAU and Western Kentucky. And it’s Senior Day, so they’ll be max motivated.

The same cannot be said for Florida International. They just clinched their 6th win and bowl eligibility last week. They did so by beating big brother Miami outright as a 21-point underdog. I think they will be partying all week and won’t care at all about this game. It’s a massive letdown spot for the Golden Panthers.

FIU is 0-4 SU & 0-4 ATS in true road games this season and losing by 23 points per game. They lost by 28 at Tulane, by 12 at LA Tech, by 33 at Middle Tennessee and by 30 at Florida Atlantic. Marshall is 5-1 at home this season with their only loss coming to 10-2 Cincinnati.

The Golden Panthers are 0-4 ATS in their last four conference games. The Thundering Herd are 17-5-2 ATS in their last 24 home games vs. a team with a winning record. Roll with Marshall Saturday.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers are the single-most underrated 5-6 or worse team in the country. The betting public wants nothing to do with them after they burned through their money betting on them; the Huskers are just 2-9 ATS this season. And I think we are ‘buying low’ on the Huskers, who were 7-point favorites over the Hawkeyes in this game entering the season. Now they are 6-point underdogs on game day.

Nebraska has actually seven of its last 10 opponents despite going 4-6 SU. The only exceptions were a home game against Ohio State, and road losses to Purdue and Minnesota. And Adrian Martinez hasn’t been healthy all season, but he is back to 100% now and playing well. I’ve been very impressed with what I’ve seen from Nebraska the last two weeks.

Indeed, the Huskers outgained Wisconsin by 11 yards but lost despite gaining 493 total yards on Wisconsin’s vaunted defense. Then they went into Maryland and won 54-7 last week and outgained them by 325 yards. The Huskers are getting their running game going, rushing for 273 yards on Wisconsin and 305 yards on Maryland.

The fact that Nebraska has been running the football well of late and on the season is important because they will need to run on Iowa because the weather report is calling for some rain. Nebraska is rushing for 207 yards per game and 4.7 per carry this season. Iowa has the worst rushing attack it has had in years. The Hawkeyes only average 132 rushing yards per game and 3.7 per carry on the season. And QB Nathan Stanley has taken a step back this year to really hurt his draft stock.

Iowa just played Wisconsin a few weeks ago and only lost 22-24. However, they had a huge comeback in the 4th quarter that made that game look closer than the final score. The Hawkeyes were outgained by 178 yards by the Badgers. Iowa went on to get lucky to beat Minnesota 23-19 the next week despite getting outgained by 141 yards by the Gophers. And last week the Hawkeyes only outgained a bad Illinois team by 51 yards in a 19-10 home win as 15-point favorites.

So, as you can see, Nebraska is the better team when you compare stats against common opponents. Nebraska outgained Wisconsin while Iowa was outgained by 178 yards by the Badgers. And Nebraska outgained Illinois by 391 yards while Iowa only outgained Illinois by 51 yards. Iowa has a putrid offense that is averaging just 19.4 points per game in Big Ten play. They can’t be trusted to lay this number on the road.

While Iowa will be motivated for this rivalry game, Nebraska will clearly be the more motivated team. Scott Frost wants to get his team to a bowl game in Year 2 and finish the season strong. The Huskers also want revenge from a 28-31 road loss at Iowa as 8.5-point dogs. Iowa won on a last-second field goal. I strongly believe the wrong team is favored in this matchup.

Nebraska is 30-13 ATS in its last 43 games after failing to cover the spread in four or five of its last six games coming in. The Huskers desperately want to end a four-game losing streak to the Hawkeyes in this series, and I think they get the job done at home this week. Take Nebraska Friday.

The Central Michigan Chippewas can clinch the MAC West title with a win Friday. Western Michigan lost to Northern Illinois on Tuesday to allow the Chippewas to have this opportunity, and I expect them to take full advantage with a blowout win over Toledo Friday.

Central Michigan has been underrated all season, and that’s evident with their 8-3 ATS record this year. They have been the most dominant team in the MAC. They are 5-2 SU & 5-2 ATS in MAC play this season, outgaining opponents by 150 yards per game and 1.8 yards per play. They are averaging 509.3 yards per game in MAC play and giving up 359.4 yards per game.

Not to mention, the Chippewas have two full weeks to get ready for Toledo after having a bye last week. Meanwhile, Toledo played last week against Buffalo, and while they will have a few extra days of rest than normal they are still at a disadvantage.

While I love the motivation for Central Michigan, I hate the motivational spot for Toledo. The Rockets have already clinched a bowl with a 6-5 record this season. And after losing at home to NIU 28-31, their hopes of winning the MAC West were crushed. They went on to lose 30-49 at Buffalo last week in a game that wasn’t even as close as that final score showed. Now it will be more of the same against Central Michigan.

Toledo has one of the worst defenses in the country. They are giving up 468.7 yards per game this season, including 464.9 yards per game in MAC play. The Rockets have been dreadful on the road, going 1-4 SU & 0-5 ATS while getting outscored by 15.6 points per game and outgained by 125 yards per game. They are giving up a whopping 524.8 yards per game on the road this season.

Conversely, Central Michigan is 5-0 SU & 5-0 ATS at home this season, outscoring opponents by 23.2 points per game and outgaining them by 251 yards per game. They are averaging 550 yards per game of offense at home and only giving up 298.6 yards per game. They beat Northern Illinois 48-10 in their last home game, the same NIU team that beat Toledo on the road and Western Michigan on the road each for he last two weeks.

And perhaps the most important part about this handicap is that Toledo could be without its top two quarterbacks. Mitchell Guadagni has missed the past five games and is unlikely to return. And backup Eli Peters was knocked out of the Buffalo game last week and is questionable to play. The good news is that even if one of them plays, I still love Central Michigan, and if they don’t play they have no chance of even being competitive.

Toledo is 0-7 ATS after going over the total in two straight games over the last two seasons. Central Michigan is 7-0 ATS in its last seven home games after scoring 42 points or more last game. The Rockets are 0-5 ATS in their last five road games. The Chippewas are 5-0 ATS in their last five home games. These four trends combine for a perfect 24-0 system backing the Chippewas. Bet Central Michigan Friday.

The Buffalo Bulls are the far superior team in this matchup with Bowling Green. So while I rarely lay this big of a number in any sport, I’m going to lay the number with the Bulls Friday. They should win by more than four touchdowns against a Bowling Green team that looks like they’ve quit.

Buffalo sits at 6-5 this season and playing some tremendous football down the stretch. The Bulls are 4-1 SU & 4-1 ATS in their last five games overall. They beat Akron 21-0 as 18-point road favorites, beat Central Michigan 43-20 as 2.5-point home favorites, won at Eastern Michigan 43-14 as 1.5-point favorites, and crushed Toledo 49-30 at home as 10-point favorites. Their lone loss came at Kent State after they blew a 27-6 lead in the 4th quarter in fluky fashion, giving up 24 points in the final eight minutes.

Bowling Green lost at Miami Ohio 3-44 two weeks ago and came back to lose 24-66 at home to Ohio last week. The Falcons sit at 3-8 on the season and have clearly quit. In fact, seven of those eight losses came by 28 points or more, so they are used to getting blown out by big margins. And their three wins have come against Morgan State, Akron and Toledo.

The key with Bowling Green is that they have been respectable at home, but atrocious on the road. The Falcons are 0-5 SU & 0-5 ATS in road games this season, getting outscored by a whopping 45.2 points per game. They are scoring just 6.6 points per game on 253.8 yards per game on the highway, and allowing 51.8 points per game and 568.6 yards per game.

Buffalo beat Bowling Green 44-14 on the road last season as 16-point favorites. They gained 483 yards and only allowed 205 yards, outgaining the Falcons by 278 yards. Expect more of the same at Buffalo this time around as the Bulls are 4-1 SU & 4-1 ATS at home this season with their only loss coming to Ohio by a single point.

The Falcons are 1-8 ATS in their last nine games as underdogs. Bowling Green is 2-10 ATS in their last 12 vs. a team with a winning record. Buffalo is 10-1 ATS in home games after the first month of the season over the last three seasons. Bowling Green is 1-9 ATS off a home game over the last two seasons. The Falcons are 0-6 ATS in their last six road games vs. a team with a winning home record. Roll with Buffalo Friday.

The Ole Miss Rebels somehow were able to get a bye week before playing their biggest game of the season in the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs had to play Saturday against Abilene Christian and now will be on a short week. That edge in rest and preparation is a huge advantage for the Rebels this week.

Ole Miss has been grossly undervalued in the entire second half of the season. The Rebels are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games overall. They have exceeded expectations despite playing a brutal schedule. And ever since dual-threat QB John Rhys Plumlee took over, this Ole Miss offense has flourished. Plumlee has rushed for 989 yards and 11 touchdowns while averaging 7.3 per carry against mostly very good defenses.

The Rebels have had their best offensive performance last time out against a very good LSU defense. The managed 614 total yards and 37 points against LSU. They had 606 total yards against New Mexico State the game before and covered as 28-point favorites in a 41-3 win. They only lost 14-20 at Auburn as 17-point dogs. They deserved to beat Texas A&M but lost 17-24 at home despite outgaining them by 65 yards. They gave Missouri a battle in a 27-38 road loss. They crushed Vanderbilt 31-6 as 7-point home favorites. And they were only outgained by 98 yards at Alabama and put up 31 points and 476 total yards on their defense.

This is going to be Ole Miss’ Super Bowl. They won’t be going to a bowl game at 4-7 this season. But they have a chance to knock Mississippi State (5-6) out of a bowl game. The Bulldogs have been one of the most overrated teams in the country this season as they are just 4-7 ATS with their only covers coming in wins over Southern Miss, Kentucky, Arkansas and Abilene Christian. They really haven’t beaten anyone good.

These teams have five common opponents this season. Ole Miss is 1-4 SU & 4-1 ATS against them while only getting outscored by 9.6 points per game and outgained by 0.8 yards per play. Mississippi State is 1-4 SU & 1-4 ATS against those same five opponents, getting outscored by 15.2 points per game and outgained by 1.3 yards per play. These common opponent stats show Ole Miss is the better team, and we’re getting them as an underdog in a favorable rest spot off the bye.

Plays against home teams where the line is +3 to -3 (Mississippi State) - after outrushing opponent by 200 or more yards last game against opponent that gained 5.5 or more yards per attempt last game are 29-7 (80.6%) ATS over the last 10 seasons. Ole Miss is 6-1 ATS in its last seven conference games. Mississippi State is 1-5 SU & 1-5 ATS in its last six conference games. Take Ole Miss Thursday.

The Akron Zips are 0-11 SU & 1-10 ATS this season. The betting public wants nothing to do with them, and we are getting them at a huge discount this week. We’re getting the Zips as four-touchdown home underdogs on Senior Night in a game I know they are going to be max motivated to get their first win of the year.

I cashed in Akron last week as 31.5-point underdogs at Miami (Ohio). They only lost that game 17-20 and had the ball with a chance to win late in the fourth quarter. That’s a Miami (Ohio) team that will be going to the MAC Championship.

Ohio has been overrated all season because they were a popular pick to win the MAC this year. The Bobcats are just 5-6 SU & 3-8 ATS this season. They have a good quarterback in Nathan Rourke, but the rest of their team has a lot of problems.

Akron actually has the better defense in this matchup. The Zips are giving up 396.7 yards per game and 5.5 yards per play on the season. Ohio is allowing 431.3 yards per game and 6.2 yards per play on the year. I don’t think the Bobcats should be favored by four touchdowns on the road with the worse defense.

Akron’s offense has not been good, obviously, but they have been better with QB Kato Nelson under center. He has 11 touchdowns against six interceptions and is a dual-threat who can escape pressure. This offense has been a lot more effective in the games he didn’t miss with injury.

Four of the last five meetings in this series have been decided by 6 points or less. The lone exception was last year with a very good Ohio team winning 49-28 at home against Akron as 24-point favorites. Now the Bobcats are favored by 28 on the road this time around and they aren’t nearly as good as they were last year.

Ohio is 1-7 ATS as a favorite this season. The Bobcats are 3-12 ATS in their last 15 games after scoring 50 points or more in their previous game. Frank Solich is 1-8 ATS in road games after a game where they forced four or more turnovers as the coach of Ohio. Their game against Bowling Green was much closer than the final score showed last week, so we’re getting extra line value here because of it. Take Akron Tuesday.

We’ve made a lot of money fading Fresno State this year, and we’ll continue to do so tonight. The Bulldogs came into the season way overvalued due to being the best covering team in the nation the previous two years. But they only returned eight starters and it was a clear rebuilding year, yet the Bulldogs have been priced like the team they were the previous two seasons. And it continues to be the case week after week.

Fresno State is just 4-6 SU & 3-6-1 ATS this season. Three of their four wins came by 14 points or less, and yet they are laying 14 points here to a Nevada team that is better than all four teams they’ve beaten outside of Hawaii, which they only beat on a last-second field goal. Fresno has a win over Sacramento State by 14 as 24.5-point favorites, a win over New Mexico State by 13 as 21-point favorites and a win over UNLV as 16.5-point favorites.

Plus, Nevada is a 6-4 team that is coming off a bye week and will be fresh and ready to go. The Wolf Pack have done a good job of turning their season around by winning and covering against New Mexico at home and pulling the 17-13 upset at San Diego State as 17.5-point dogs in their last two games coming in. Now they carry that momentum into Fresno State this weekend.

Fresno State has been outgained in five of its last six games. The only exception was the 75 yards they outgained UNLV by in a very misleading 56-27 win. They were outgained by 153 yards in a 24-43 loss at Air Force, by 112 yards in a 31-41 home loss to Colorado State as 13.5-point favorites, by 41 yards in their 3-point win over Hawaii, by 106 yards in their 35-37 upset home loss to Utah State and by 219 yards in their 7-17 loss at San Diego State last week.

Fresno State had one of the best defenses in the country last year, but that has been far from the case this year. The Bulldogs are giving up 33.8 points and 473.3 yards per game in Mountain West play this season. This is a pretty bad conference, and they just gave up 425 yards to a bad San Diego State offense last week. They had allowed 500-plus yards in three straight games prior to that SDSU game as well. The back door will always be open for Nevada if needed, but I don’t think it will be needed. The road team is 7-1 ATS in the last eight meetings. Bet Nevada Saturday.

Stanford sits at 4-6 on the season. The Cardinal need two more wins to get to a bowl game. That’s important to them because they have a 10-year bowl streak alive and haven’t missed a bowl since the 2008 season. And they certainly don’t want their season to come to an end at the hands of their biggest rival in Cal.

Stanford is 9-0 SU & 7-2 ATS in its last nine meetings with California. And now the Cardinal just have to win this game at home to cover as only 1.5-point favorites. I believe this is a gift from oddsmakers because despite having a down year, Stanford is still better than Cal this season.

Injuries have hurt the Cardinal this season, but they have found their QB moving forward in Davis Mills. He threw for a school-record 504 yards against Washington State last week. He is completing 65% of his passes for 1,394 yards with an 8-to-3 TD/INT ratio on the season and is averaging 8.7 per attempt. He has actually been better than starter KJ Costello, and certainly better than their third-stringer, who was forced into action earlier this season.

Mills led the 23-13 win over Washington, and he also led the win at Oregon State. He just made his first start last week since that win over Washington back on September 5th. I think the Cardinal’s record would be better if he started every game this year. Cal just gave up 406 passing yards last week in a 17-41 loss to USC a week after giving up 407 passing yards to Washington State. It’s clear you can throw on this Cal defense, and Mills will exploit it.

Cal starting QB Chase Garbers just hasn’t been able to stay healthy, either. He was knocked out of the loss to USC last week with a shoulder injury, and he’s questionable to play this week. Backup Devin Monster has been awful in his place, completing just 50.8% of his passes with a 5-to-5 TD/INT ratio and 5.8 per attempt. Garbers is at 57.6% with an 8-to-2 ratio and 7.9 per attempt, so it’s a big downgrade if Modster gets the start.

This is a Cal offense that is one of the worst in the country. The Bears only average 18.9 points and 304.0 yards per game on the season, including 13.7 points and 268.7 yards per game on the road. The Bears are 2-5 in conference play and scoring just 15.9 points per game while averaging 265.4 yards per game and 4.4 per play. That’s another reason they shouldn’t be getting this much respect from oddsmakers. Roll with Stanford Saturday.

Despite having a disastrous season up to this point, the Nebraska Cornhuskers sit at 4-6 on the season and still within reach of a bowl game. You can bet Scott Frost doesn’t want the embarrassment of missing out on a bowl again, and he’ll have his players ready to go Saturday in Maryland.

Conversely, Maryland just suffered its seventh loss of the season and sits at 3-7 on the year. The Terrapins know they won’t be going to a bowl game, and I question their motivation. This team has rarely even been competitive in Big Ten play this season. The Terrapins are 1-6 SU & 2-5 ATS in Big Ten action, getting outscored by 26.0 points per game. They are a disaster right now, and head coach Mike Locksley is in trouble.

It’s time to ‘buy low’ on Nebraska, which is 1-9 ATS in its 10 games this season while burning the betting public week after week. They want nothing to do with this team now. But it’s pretty easy to see the Huskers are better than their 4-6 record as they have continually blown lead after lead and cover after cover in the second half of games this season. I don’t expect this game to even be close to give them a chance to blow it.

Nebraska has actually outgained six of its last nine opponents with the only exceptions being a home game against Ohio State, and road losses to Purdue and Minnesota. They actually outgained Wisconsin by 11 yards last week despite losing 21-37. Their offense racked up 493 total yards on Wisconsin’s vaunted defense with 273 rushing and 220 passing. Adrian Martinez is back to 100% healthy, and this offense should continue to flourish the final two weeks of the season.

Maryland’s offense has been held to just 17.3 points and 283.7 yards per game in conference play this season, including 10.3 points and 194.0 yards per game in their last three. I just don’t think they can be trusted to score at all and keep up with Nebraska’s high-powered offense. Not to mention, the Terrapins are giving up 43.3 points and 504.9 yards per game in Big Ten play. With those numbers, you can see we are getting Nebraska at a discount this week.

The Huskers are 7-3-1 ATS in their last 11 road games vs. a team with a losing home record. The Terrapins are 3-11 ATS in their last 14 games off a bye week. Maryland is 1-6 ATS in its last seven November games. I’m not concerned about Maryland coming off a bye because their season is over and they aren’t excited at all about this game. Nebraska just had a bye prior to Wisconsin and will still be fresh and ready to go. Take Nebraska Saturday.

I believe Southern Miss is a better team than Western Kentucky this year. But that’s only part of the handicap. A big part of the handicap is that Southern Miss is still alive for a Conference USA title, while Western Kentucky is not. And thus the Golden Eagles have the motivational advantage coming into this one.

Southern Miss is tied for first place in the C-USA West with LA Tech at 5-1 within the conference. But the Golden Eagles lost to LA Tech, so they don’t hold the tiebreaker. However, they got a huge break when LA Tech had its QB and Top WR suspended last week and this week. After losing to Marshall badly last week, LA Tech now travels to face UAB this week and is nearly a 7-point underdog. Chances are LA Tech loses that game, meaning a win for Southern Miss would put them in first place in the C-USA West.

Western Kentucky is 4-2 within the conference. They trail both Marshall (5-1) and Florida Atlantic (5-1). The problem is that WKU lost to both of those teams, thus they are essentially two games back in the division. They essentially have no chance of winning C-USA East now and thus don’t have much to play for. They are already bowl eligible, which is a nice accomplishment in itself after what this program has gone through the last few seasons.

Southern Miss is the real deal this season. It is 7-3 this year with its only losses all coming on the road to Alabama, Mississippi State and LA Tech. This despite facing a brutal schedule with only five home games this season compared to seven road games. The Eagles are 4-0 SU & 3-1 ATS at home this season, outscoring opponents by 24.7 points per game and outgaining them by 181 yards per game.

Western Kentucky is starting to get too much respect from oddsmakers after going 6-1 ATS in its last seven games overall and upsetting Arkansas last time out on the road. But against the two best teams they have faced in C-USA, they lost on the road to Marshall and at home to FAU by 11. All of their wins have come against suspect competition, and they also lost to Central Arkansas.

The Golden Eagles are 4-1 ATS in their last five conference games. Southern Miss is 7-1 ATS in its last eight November games. And these teams have one common opponent in UAB. WKU beat UAB 20-13 at home, while Southern Miss crushed UAB 37-2 at home. Roll with Southern Miss Saturday.

This is the ultimate sandwich spot for the Michigan Wolverines. They are coming off a huge win over their second-biggest rival in Michigan State. And next week they play their biggest rival in Ohio State. This is the game that they are likely to come out flat in as they won’t be up emotionally to face Indiana at all.

But the Hoosiers are no longer the easy pushovers they used to be. They are 7-3 this season with two of their losses coming on the road to Michigan State (by 9) and Penn State (by 7), covering the spread in both games as 14 and 15-point dogs, respectively. Their only blowout loss this season came to Ohio State, which is arguably the best team in the country.

Michigan is starting to get too much respect from oddsmakers after covering four straight and six of its last seven. The oddsmakers are over adjusting here for it by making them double-digit road favorites. If this was a normal game, this line would be high as it is. But the fact that it’s a sandwich spot for Michigan is not being factored into the line.

Indiana outgained Penn State by 91 yards on the road last week and probably deserved to win. QB Peyton Ramsey has been playing some tremendous football in place of the injured Michael Penix Jr. Ramsey is completing 72.7% of his passes for 1,673 yards with a 10-to-3 TD/INT ratio and averaging 8.4 yards per attempt. He will be able to move the football on this Michigan defense.

Indiana has played Michigan really tough the last few years. Indeed, the Hoosiers are 3-0-1 ATS in the last four meetings. And despite being 0-4 SU, all four losses came by 11 points or less, including two in overtime. You can bet the Hoosiers want to end their long losing streak to the Wolverines and will be highly motivated to do so. And I think they finally have the team capable of pulling off the upset as they are complete on both sides of the football this year and showing some tremendous fight against good competition. This is their Super Bowl on Senior Day.

Plays against any team (Michigan) - after beating the spread by 49 or more points total in their last five games, a top-level team winning at least 80% of their games playing a good team that wins 60% to 80% are 46-17 (73%) ATS over the last five seasons.

Michigan is 4-17 ATS in its last 21 games after scoring 31 points or more in three straight games. Indiana is 11-2 ATS in its last 13 games after having won four of its last five games. The Wolverines are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 road games. The Hoosiers are 6-1 ATS in their last seven vs. a team with a winning record. Indiana is 6-1 ATS in its last seven games overall. Take Indiana Saturday.

Boston College needs one more win to get bowl eligible. They sit at 5-5 on the season and have two road games left at Notre Dame & Pitt. It won’t be easy as they’ll need to pull an upset to get bowl eligible for the 6th time in seven seasons under Steve Addazio.

The Eagles are in a great spot coming off their bye with two weeks to prepare for Notre Dame. They are better than their 5-5 record as they have gone 1-3 in games decided by 7 points or less. Their offense is really hitting on all cylinders right now. The Eagles have gained 500-plus yards in five of their last six games coming in.

Boston College is one of the best rushing teams in the country, averaging 282 rushing yards per game and 5.3 per carry. Notre Dame’s weakness has been stopping the run as they have given up 200-plus rushing yards four times this season and are allowing 169 rushing yards per game overall.

I had Notre Dame last week against Navy as I thought the 7-point spread was too short. And Notre Dame rolled to a 52-20 victory. But Navy rushed for 281 yards on them and gave the game away with four turnovers. And now Notre Dame will have to face a physical running team two weeks in a row.

Notre Dame is 4-11 ATS the week after facing Navy the last 15 years. It’s clear playing Navy takes a toll on them the next week. Boston College’s offensive line is better than Notre Dame’s defensive line, and that’s why the Eagles have a chance to keep this one close. That’s the key matchup in this game that is in Boston College’s favor.

Addazio is 15-5 ATS as a road underdog as the coach of Boston College. Notre Dame is 2-12 ATS in its last 14 games after leading its last two games by 14-plus points at halftime. The Eagles are 4-0 ATS in their last four games following a loss. Boston College is 20-8 ATS in its last 28 road games. The Eagles are 5-1 ATS in their last six trips to Notre Dame. Bet Boston College Saturday.

I love fading Minnesota in this spot. The Golden Gophers just had their dreams of making the four-team playoff crushed with their loss to Iowa last week and their unbeaten season is over. Teams usually struggle to rebound following such a devastating loss, and many times it’s the kind of loss that beats a team twice. We’re just asking Minnesota not to win by more than two touchdowns this week, though.

Another reason Minnesota has no incentive to show up this week is because the result of this game means nothing. They could lose this game and beat Wisconsin next week and get to the Big Ten Championship Game. They could beat Northwestern this week, but they’d still have to beat Wisconsin next week to get to the title game. Essentially, this game means nothing in the grand scheme of things.

I am fairly certain this game means more to Northwestern. It’s their Super Bowl getting to face a Top 25 team at home. And It’s Senior Day, so you know the Wildcats will want to send their seniors out a winner. Pat Fitzgerald is one of the best motivators in college football, and his teams show up almost every week as a result. They will give the Gophers more of a fight than they bargained for this weekend.

A big reason Northwestern’s record is so bad is because they have played the 24th-toughest schedule in the country. Minnesota has played the 60th-ranked schedule, which is 34 spots lower. And Northwestern has four losses this season by 10 points or less, so they haven’t fared well in close games. I think this one will go down to the wire as well given the terrible spot for the Gophers.

Minnesota star QB Tanner Morgan hasn’t been cleared from concussion protocol. He is worth a lot of points to the spread over a pair of freshmen backups who are battling to replace him in practice this week if need be. And this line has been bet from Minnesota -7 to Minnesota -14 throughout the week, indicating that Morgan will likely play. But if he doesn’t play, we have some tremendous value here. I think it’s a good bet whether he plays or not, and this line move is unwarranted.

Minnesota has only beaten Northwestern by more than 14 points one time in the last 12 meetings, making for an 11-1 system backing the Wildcats pertaining to this 14-point spread. The Wildcats are 25-6-1 ATS in their last 32 games after allowing less than 100 rushing yards in their previous game. The home team is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings. Bet Northwestern Saturday.

The Colorado State Rams sit at 4-6 and in need of a win to keep their bowl hopes alive. That assures they’ll show up tonight at Wyoming, and I think they have a great chance to win this game outright.

The Rams have been grossly underrated after a slow start this season. They have gone 5-2 ATS in their last seven games overall and have outgained five of seven opponents despite going just 3-4 SU during this stretch. They have several misleading finals this season against some very good teams.

On September 21st, Colorado State lost 35-41 to Toledo despite outgaining them by 147 yards. They only lost 24-34 at Utah State their next game as 24-point dogs. They did lose 10-24 at home to San Diego State but were only outgained by 3 yards. They won 35-21 at New Mexico as 5-point favorites and outgained them by 206 yards. They pulled the 41-31 upset at Fresno as 13.5-point dogs and outgained them by 112 yards. They blew out UNLV 37-17 as 7.5-point home favorites.

Last week, Colorado State gave Air Force everything they wanted. And that’s an Air Force team that is arguably the best in the Mountain West. The Rams led 14-10 heading into the 4th quarter, but were outscored 28-7 in the final period. They were going in at the 1-yard line to make it a 3-point game in the final minutes, but threw a 99-yard INT returned for a TD. They wound up losing by 17 as 10.5-point dogs, which was one of the worst bad beats of the season. They outgained Air Force by 33 yards in the loss. I think that misleading final is creating extra line value for us on Colorado State this week.

Wyoming had a chance to win the Mountain West, but lost at Boise State two weeks ago. They also lost at Utah State last week and now have no chance to win the Mountain West. Sitting at 6-4 on the season, they are already bowl eligible and have little to play for. I certainly question their motivation tonight compared to that of Colorado State, which is still playing for a bowl.

Wyoming lost starting QB Sean Chambers a couple weeks ago to a season-ending knee injury. That was a huge blow because backup Tyler Vander Waal has been awful in his place. Vander Waal is completing just 52% of his passes with one touchdown and three interceptions while averaging only 5.7 yards per attempt. He also is not a runner, whereas Chambers was a dual-threat who had 567 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging 6.3 per carry on the ground. Not having to defend that dual-threat makes Wyoming’s offense one of the worst in the country now with Vander Waal.

Colorado State boasts one of the best offenses that Wyoming will have faced this season. The Rams average 30.6 points and 460.5 yards per game on the season. Wyoming has faced one of the worst schedule of opposing offenses in the country as their opponents only average 22.9 points and 367 yards per game on the year. And Wyoming is probably the biggest fraud of any bowl eligible team in the country. The Cowboys have actually been outgained in eight of their 10 games this season despite their 6-4 record.

Plays against home favorites of 3.5 to 10 points (Wyoming) - after having lost two of their last three games, with a winning record on the season are 48-17 (73.8%) ATS over the last five seasons. Wyoming is 0-6 ATS after having lost two of its last three games over the last two seasons. Bet Colorado State Friday.

The NC State Wolfpack sit at 4-6 on the season. They have a lot more to play for tonight as they still have a chance to make a bowl game if they win out. And with a game on deck at home against rival UNC, they have a legitimate chance to win their final two games of the season. Wrong team favored here.

Yes, NC State is just 1-5 SU & 1-5 ATS in its last six games overall. But that’s why we are getting great value on the Wolfpack as underdogs to the worst team in the ACC in Georgia Tech tonight. And keep in mind those games were closer than the final scores. NC State outgained three of its six opponents during this 1-5 skid, including outgaining Louisville by 51 yards last week in a 20-34 loss.

Georgia Tech is every bit as bad as its 2-8 SU & 2-7-1 ATS record would indicate. The Yellow Jackets have been outgained in nine of their 10 games this season with the only exception being outgaining a bad Duke team by 6 yards. It’s a Georgia Tech team getting outgained by 121.7 yards per game on the season. To compare, NC State is still outgaining opponents by 6.3 yards per game on the season.

Plays on road underdogs (NC State) - after allowing 31 points or more in three straight games against an opponent that’s off a loss by 17 points or more are 64-27 (70.3%) ATS over the last 10 seasons. Georgia Tech is coming off a 45-0 home loss to Virginia Tech while getting held to just 134 total yards. Yet the Yellow Jackets are favored this week. Give me a break. Georgia Tech is 0-7 ATS in its last seven home games. The road team is 5-0-1 ATS in the last six meetings. Take NC State Thursday.

The Akron Zips are 0-10 SU & 0-10 ATS this season. The chances of them going 0-12 ATS for the entire season are slim to none. Oddsmakers are going to adjust knowing that the betting public wants to keep fading them because they haven’t covered yet. And I think they’ve adjusted too much tonight.

The Zips just recently got starting QB Kato Nelson back from injury. He threw for 288 yards and two touchdowns against Eastern Michigan last week while averaging 8.7 yards per attempt. That’s the same Eastern Michigan team that just rolled Northern Illinois 45-17 on the road last night.

I just don’t think Miami Ohio is going to be motivated enough to put away Akron by 31-plus points tonight. Miami Ohio already clinched the MAC East last week with their win over Bowling Green. They have the tiebreaker on their closest pursuers with head-to-head wins, and I think they will be flat tonight as a result. They would need to be fully invested to cover this big of a number as they only have one win all season that would cover 32 points.

Plays against favorites of 31.5 or more points (Miami Ohio) - off a home win, with a winning record on the season playing a losing team are 29-8 (78.4%) ATS over the last five seasons. The road team is 6-1 ATS in the last seven meetings. The Zips are 4-1 ATS in their last five trips to Miami Ohio. Take Akron Wednesday.

The Northern Illinois Huskies kept their bowl hopes alive last week with a huge 31-28 road win at Toledo to improve to 4-6 on the season. Now they have two home games to finish the season and have a legit chance of making a bowl. They need to handle their business here against Eastern Michigan to do so.

Eastern Michigan is 5-5 this season with a home game on deck next week against Kent State that they will be heavily favored in. They know they can afford to lose this game and still make a bowl. Sure, they want to beat Northern Illinois, but it’s not as urgent to win this game as it is for the Huskies.

I simply believe NIU is the better team despite having the worse record. The Huskies have played a brutal schedule this season with seven road games compared to three home games. And those seven road games featured non-conference games at Utah, Nebraska and Vanderbilt, as well as trips to four of the best teams in the MAC in Ohio, Miami, Central Michigan and Toledo. The Huskies are 2-1 SU & 2-1 ATS at home this season outscoring opponents by 18.7 points per game and holding foes to 12.3 points and 217.3 yards per game.

Common opponents are a great way to compare teams. These teams have faced the same four opponents. Eastern Michigan is 1-3 SU & 1-3 ATS against them, getting outscored by 1.7 points per game and outgained by 68.7 yards per game and 0.9 yards per play. Northern Illinois is 2-2 SU & 2-2 ATS against those four teams, outscoring them by 1.7 points per game and only getting outgained by 27.3 yards per game and 0.4 yards per play.

I like the matchup for NIU on both sides of the ball. Their weakness this season has been stopping the run, but EMU only averages 118 rushing yards per game and 3.7 per carry. NIU is great against the pass, giving up just 208 passing yards per game, and they’ll be able to slow down an EMU offense averaging 273 passing yards per game. NIU has topped 200 rushing yards in two of its last three games coming in and should be able to run the ball at will on an EMU defense that allows 194 rushing yards per game and 4.7 per carry. The Eagles have also been terrible against the pass, giving up 63.4% completions and 8.3 yards per attempt.

Northern Illinois is 11-0 SU & 7-3-1 ATS in its last 11 meetings with Eastern Michigan. The Huskies are 15-2 ATS in their last 17 games off an upset win as an underdog over a conference opponent. The Eagles are 2-14 ATS in their last 16 games off a win by more than 20 points. Eastern Michigan is 0-5 ATS in its last five games following an ATS win. Bet Northern Illinois Tuesday.

The Utah Utes went into their bye week fat and happy after beating Washington on the road 33-28. Now they’ve had two weeks to get patted on the back after appearing in the Top 10 of the college football playoff rankings. I expect them to come out flat this week against UCLA.

And I just simply believe it’s time to ’sell high’ on the Utes after they have gone 5-0 SU & 5-0 ATS in their last five games overall. They are quickly becoming one of the most public teams in the country as the betting public keeps getting rewarded by backing them. I think that stops this weekend.

UCLA was left for dead after a 1-5 start this season. But we saw UCLA struggle in the first half of the season last year and play great in the 2nd half. The same thing has happened this year. UCLA has gone 3-0 SU & 3-0 ATS in their last three games to improve to 4-5 on the season.

They upset Stanford 34-16 as 4-point road dogs. They beat Arizona State 42-32 as 3.5-point road dogs in a game they led 42-10 going into the 4th quarter before pulling their starters and getting outscored 22-0 in the final period. And they dominated Colorado 31-14 as 6.5-point home favorites last time out.

Now the Bruins need to win two of their last three games to make a bowl game and will be ‘all in’ this week. Not to mention, a victory Saturday would move UCLA into a tie for first place in the Pac-12 South. The Bruins also come off their bye week, so this young team will only get better with the extra prep time.

Getting QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson back from injury has made all the difference for the Bruins. Being without him is the reason they lost to Arizona and Oregon State, or they’d have a better record than they do. And they have gotten power running back Joshua Kelley going. He has rushed for 466 yards and 7 touchdowns during their three-game winning streak.

In fact, the Bruins have rushed for at least 200 yards in five straight games for the first time since 1978. They are starting to play the way that Chip Kelly envisioned when he took over the program last year. Kelly is 14-1 ATS in road games after a game where his team committed one or fewer turnovers as a college football head coach. Bet UCLA Saturday.

This is an awful spot to back LSU. I’ve been backing LSU a lot this season, but I realize this is the worst spot they have been in all year. I’m going to fade them because of it and grab Ole Miss +21.5 at home to keep it within three touchdowns.

LSU is coming off a grueling, program-changing 46-41 win over Alabama last week on the road. They won’t have much left in the tank after that win, and they certainly won’t be fully focused for Ole Miss this week. They have been getting patted on the back all week with their No. 1 playoff ranking. It’s only human nature for these young players to have an emotional letdown off such a huge win. They probably think they just have to show up to win this week, but that won’t be the case.

Ole Miss made easy work of New Mexico State in a 41-3 victory as 28-point favorites last week. They got to rest their starters in the second half and save some energy for LSU this week, because they know they are going to need it. Sitting at 4-6 on the season, this is Ole Miss’ Super Bowl, a chance to knock off the No. 1 ranked team in the country. They will be more motivated in this game than any other game this season.

Ole Miss QB John Rhys Plumlee is one of the best-kept secrets in the country. The Ole Miss offense has been humming every since he took over at quarterback, and they can match LSU score for score with him at the helm. Plumlee has thrown for 66 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions, while also rushing for 777 yards and seven scores on 6.8 per carry. His dual-threat ability gives the Rebels a chance to keep the chains and the clock moving and to keep that potent LSU offense on the sideline.

While the LSU offense is possibly the best in program history, the LSU defense isn’t as stout as it has been in years’ past. The Tigers are giving up 22.3 points and 340.4 yards per game, including 32.5 points and 446.2 yards per game in their four road games this season. Texas scored 38, Vanderbilt scored 38, Alabama scored 41 and Florida scored 28 on this LSU defense. It can be done, and the Rebels will pull out all the stops this week. That’s especially the case knowing they have a bye on deck next week to get ready for the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State.

LSU is 2-10 ATS in its last 12 games off an upset win as a road underdog. The Tigers are 1-4 ATS in their last five games vs. a team with a losing record. The Rebels are 5-1 ATS in their last six games overall. The home team is 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings.

Plays against road favorites of 10.5 to 21 points (LSU) - a dominant team outgaining their opponents by 125 or more yards per game, after gaining 525 or more total yards per game in their last two games are 52-23 (69.3%) ATS over the last 10 seasons. Bet Ole Miss Saturday.

For starters, this is the first time that Texas has ever been an underdog to Iowa State dating back to at least 1980. And not only are they dogs, they are 7-point dogs here, which gives us room to spare even if Iowa State does win this game. The Cyclones simply aren’t 7 points better than Texas.

The Longhorns have a lot more to play for than Iowa State. If they win this game and win at Baylor next week, they could be going to the Big 12 title game. They would need Oklahoma to beat Baylor this week, but considering the Sooners are double-digits favorites, they chances of them winning that game are pretty good.

Texas put themselves in this position by erasing a 14-0 deficit to Kansas State last week and coming back to win 27-24. However, that game wasn’t as close as the final score would indicate. The Longhorns had a 477-304 yard edge over the Wildcats, outgaining them by 173 yards. The Wildcats got a kickoff return TD that made it interesting late, but the Longhorns were able to hold them off for the win. And now that puts them in this Big 12 title chase position they are in.

Iowa State has to be feeling snake-bitten. The Cyclones have four losses this season by a combined 11 points. I think the loss to Oklahoma last week was the last straw. They trailed by 21 points in the fourth quarter, came storming back to tie it, but decided to go for a 2-point conversion and the win and came up short. They have bounced back nicely from losses before, but I think they have taken all the close losses they can handle this season. I don’t expect them to be in a good mental state now that they are officially eliminated from Big 12 title contention.

Tom Herman is an animal as an underdog. Herman is 15-3 ATS as an underdog in his head-coaching career, which includes 11 outright upsets. Not to mention, dating back to his time as an offensive coordinator, he is 25-4 ATS as an underdog. Iowa State is just 3-6 ATS as a home favorite over the past two seasons.

Plays against home favorites of 3.5 to 10 points (Iowa State) - after having lost two of their last there games, with a winning record on the season are 47-16 (74.6%) ATS over the last fie seasons. Plays on road underdogs (Texas) - off a home conference win against an opponent that’s off a close loss by 7 points or less to a conference opponent are 39-13 (75%) ATS over the last five seasons. Roll with Texas Saturday.

Notre Dame opened as a double-digit favorite where they should have been against Navy. This number has been bet all the way down to Notre Dame -7 now, and the price is right to pull the trigger on the Fighting Irish laying only a touchdown to the Midshipmen.

No team has improved more since last year than Navy, which went 3-10 and lost to Army again. Now the Midshipmen have opened 7-1 SU & 6-2 ATS this season and betting public has taken notice. Simply put, the time to back Navy was the first half of the season, not now that everyone has caught on. That’s why we’ll ’sell high’ on the Midshipmen this week as they are one of the most popular public underdogs on the board.

Navy has benefitted from playing the 97th-toughest schedule in the country, while Notre Dame has played the 31st-toughest. That’s 66 spots difference between these teams in strength of schedule. This will easily be Navy’s toughest test yet this season, and much tougher than their 23-35 loss at Memphis when they were 11-point dogs. Notre Dame is better than Memphis, yet it is only a 7-point favorite compared to 11 for Memphis. That fact alone shows you that there’s value with Notre Dame here.

The Fighting Irish really impressed me last week by going into Duke and handling their business 38-7 as 7-point favorites. They could have easily packed it in after suffering their second loss of the season at Michigan, but they did not. They suffered a hangover the next week against VA Tech and needed a late touchdown to win 21-20 as 17.5-point favorites. I was on VA Tech in that game and felt fortunate to get the cover as Notre Dame outgained the Hokies by 207 yards. Notre Dame went on to destroy Duke last week and outgain them by 272 yards. The hangover is gone, and it’s clear Notre Dame is still motivated to get the best bowl they can and another double-digit win season.

Notre Dame has been a double-digit favorite against Navy in seven of the last eight meetings. That’s how rare this single-digit line is. And when the line has been low, Notre Dame has been a bad football team. That’s not the case this year as the Fighting Irish are still one of the 15-20 best teams in the country. Notre Dame is 22-4 SU in the last 26 meetings while being favored by an average of 18.8 points per game. Notre Dame is 11-2 SU in the last 13 home meetings and has been favored by an average of 20.1 points per game. These numbers also show that this -7 price is cheap.

Plays against any team (Navy) - after beating the spread by 49 or more points in their last five games, a team that wins 80% or more of their games on the season while playing another team with a winning record are 73-35 (67.6%) ATS over the last five seasons.

Notre Dame is 16-0 SU in its last 16 home games with 12 of those wins coming by 7 points or more. Ken Niumatalolo is 5-15 ATS in road games off a bye week as the coach of Navy. Brian Kelly is 30-13 ATS when playing against a team with a winning percentage of greater than 75% in all games he has coached. The Fighting Irish are 7-1 ATS in their last eight home games vs. a team with a winning road record. Roll with Notre Dame Saturday.

The Penn State Nittany Lions just had their bubble worst. After starting 8-0, they just lost to Minnesota on the road last week and likely won’t be going to the four-team playoff now. I said they were a fraud all along anyway, so it was about time they lost a close game after surviving several others. And if they win this game Saturday against Indiana, it won’t be by more than two touchdowns.

Penn State is in a ‘hangover’ spot from that loss to Minnesota. It’s also a ’sandwich’ spot because they have a huge game at Ohio State on deck. Look for the Nittany Lions to come out flat today against Indiana. I love the fact that this is an early 12:00 EST start time because the fans won’t be nearly as rowdy as they would be for a ‘white out’. Also, fans won’t be as excited now that the Nittany Lions aren’t undefeated any more.

The reason I’ve said Penn State is a fraud this year is because they were outgained in four of their first eight games this season despite being 8-0. They were outgained by both Buffalo and Pitt at home, were outgained by 62 yards in a fortunate 17-12 win at Iowa, and were outgained by 124 yards in a fortunate 28-21 home win over Michigan. They have been outgained in three of their five home games this season.

Indiana is one of the most improved teams in the country at 7-2 this season. And the Hoosiers have been flying under the radar all year as they have gone 5-1 ATS in their last six games overall. They have three wins by 31-plus points during this stretch, and road wins over Maryland and Nebraska. Their only loss during this stretch came on the road at Michigan State by 9 back before Sparty had a ton of players get injured and were playing well. Now Indiana has two full weeks to prepare for Penn State after having a bye following its 34-3 dismantling of Northwestern two weekends ago.

Jameis Franklin has been awful as a head coach of Penn State following any kind of loss. Indeed, Franklin is 3-14 ATS off one or more consecutive losses as the coach of Penn State. Franklin is 0-6 ATS off an upset loss as a favorite as the coach of the Nittany Lions having never covered in this spot. He clearly just doesn’t get through to his players when they are coming off a defeat.

Adding to Indiana’s motivation this week is the fact that it lost 28-33 at home to Penn State last year as 14-point dogs in a game they felt like they should have won. The Hoosiers had a 32-20 edge in first downs and a 554-417 yard edge, outgaining the Nittany Lions by 137 yards. They haven’t forgotten about that defeat and will want to exact some revenge here.

Plays on road underdogs (Indiana) - an excellent offensive team averaging 440 or more yards per game against an average offensive team (390-440 YPG), after outgaining its last opponent by 225 or more total yards are 34-10 (77.3%) ATS over the last 10 seasons. Take Indiana Saturday.

Mark Dantonio just seems to have lost his magic at Michigan State. The Spartans went 3-9 in 2016 and just 7-6 in 2018. They will be fortunate to even make a bowl game this year. I just don’t like the mental state of the Spartans right now off four straight losses while going 0-5 ATS in their last five games overall.

After getting blasted by three of the best teams in the Big Ten in Ohio State by 24, Wisconsin by 38 and Penn State by 21, the Spartans returned from their bye last week and seemed primed for a good performance. Instead, they blew a 28-3 lead and lost to lowly Illinois 34-37 as 16-point favorites. I don’t see how you come back from that kind of a defeat as they gave up 27 points in the 4th quarter.

Few teams have been hit harder by injuries than Michigan State. They lost leading receiver Darrell Stewart a few weeks ago to a leg injury. They lost leading tackler Joe Bachie for the season recently, who is the heart and soul of their defense. Meanwhile, Michigan is almost fully healthy with only three players listed on the injury report compared to 15 for Michigan State. And the Wolverines come in rested and ready to go off their bye week and ready to finish the season strong.

It’s like the Wolverines flipped the switch after falling behind 21-0 against Penn State. They came back and nearly won in a 21-28 loss in a ‘white out’ game at night at Penn State. They outgained the Nittany Lions by 124 yards and probably should have won. They responded with one of the most impressive wins by any team this season, a 45-14 home win over Notre Dame while outgaining the Fighting Irish by 257 yards. And last time out they avoided a letdown and rolled Maryland 38-7 as 21.5-point road favorites.

This Michigan offense has come to life in the second half of the season. The Wolverines are averaging 36.5 points per game in their last four games despite facing some elite defenses in Notre Dame and Penn State. I just don’t see how Michigan State can keep up with their putrid offense, which averages just 23.1 points and 366 yards per game this season. Michigan is 5-0 at home this season and allowing just 11.8 points and 227 yards per game at the Big House.

Michigan State has been a thorn in Michigan’s side, especially before Jim Harbaugh took over. But the Wolverines have won two of the last three meetings, including a 21-7 win last year on the road. This is their chance to kick ‘little brother’ while he is down, and you know the Wolverines are going to want to take full advantage. I see no way the Spartans stay within two touchdowns.

Michigan is 6-0 ATS in home games after having won two of their last three games over the last three seasons. The Wolverines are 8-1 ATS in home games after a game where they forced one or fewer turnovers over the last two seasons. The Spartans are 0-6 ATS in their last six vs. a team with a winning record. The Wolverines are 5-1 ATS in their last six games overall. Take Michigan Saturday.

The Kansas Jayhawks are certainly improved in their first season under Les Miles. They played Oklahoma (20-45), Texas (48-50) and Texas Tech (37-34) tougher than the books expected while going 3-0 ATS. And after they finally got their Big 12 win over Texas Tech, they suffered a letdown the next week and were blown out by Kansas State.

Now it’s time to ‘buy low’ on the Jayhawks after everyone has forgotten about them following that loss to Kansas State, which simply owns them. The Jayhawks have had two full weeks to stew over that loss and get ready for Oklahoma State. I think the bye week came at a perfect time for them.

Oklahoma State is also off a bye week, but it’s bad timing for them. The Cowboys are coming off two straight wins over Iowa State as 11-point road dogs and TCU as 1-point home favorites. They had some momentum built up by catching both Iowa State and TCU off guard. Now they are back in the role of the favorite, which hasn’t gone too well for them.

The Cowboys were previously upset by Texas Tech as 9.5-point road favorites in a 35-45 loss. They were also upset at home as 6-point favorites against Baylor in a 27-45 defeat. I just don’t think the Cowboys can be trusted to lay this big of a number in conference play because they turn the ball over too much, and their three conference wins have come by 7, 7 and 13 points.

Kansas stud QB Carter Stanley is back healthy now after getting knocked out of that loss to Kansas State with an injury. Stanley is completing 63.6% of his passes for 2,015 yards with 19 touchdowns and only seven interceptions while averaging a solid 7.6 yards per attempt. Pooka Williams has been productive since coming back from suspension, rushing for 765 yards and three touchdowns on 5.1 per carry.

This is one of the most improved offenses in the country and they’re fully capable of matching Oklahoma State score for score. The Jayhawks showed it in their 48-50 loss at Texas and their 37-34 win over Texas Tech, which are two teams that have beaten Oklahoma State this season. The Cowboys are giving up 32.2 points and 463.7 yards per game in Big 12 play, and they can’t be laying 17 points with that putrid defense.

The Jayhawks are 8-1 ATS in their last nine games following a loss. Kansas is 4-0 ATS in its last four road games vs. a team with a winning home record. Bet Kansas Saturday.

Motivation will be on Marshall’s side this week. The Thundering Herd are 0.5 games behind the FAU Owls for first place in the C-USA East. They have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Owls after winning on the road as 4-point dogs, so they control their own destiny.

Conversely, Louisiana Tech will have a hard time getting motivated this week because they have the inside track to win the much weaker C-USA West. They are 5-0 in the conference and a loss to Marshall will not hurt them because they hold the tiebreaker over 4-1 Southern Miss after winning head-to-head. So they essentially have a two-game lead in the division.

The spot is also a good one for Marshall, which comes off a bye week and has had two full weeks to get ready for LA Tech. Conversely, LA Tech will be on a short week after playing this past Saturday against North Texas. It’s crazy how the schedule makers have given Marshall such a huge rest advantage coming into this weeknight game.

Louisiana Tech has played one of the easiest schedules in the entire country. Indeed, the Bulldogs have played the 145th-ranked schedule. That means some FCS teams have even played harder schedules than they have. Their eight wins have come against Grambling, Bowling Green, FIU, Rice, UMass, Southern Miss, UTEP and North Texas. And they barely beat Grambling (20-14) and Rice (23-20).

There are rumors surrounding the Louisiana Tech program that several key players could be suspended for this game, including QB J’mar Smith, who has thrown for 2,483 yards with a 14-to-4 TD/INT ratio this season, while also rushing for 226 yards and two scores. If the news comes out soon, this line will jump even more than it already has. The good news is I like Marshall at this line regardless if anyone for LA Tech is suspended. It would just be an added bonus if they were suspended.

Plays against any team (LA Tech) - after beating the spread by 49 or more points total in their last five games, a team that wins more than 80% of their games on the season against a team with a winning record are 73-35 (67.6%) ATS over the last five seasons. The Thundering Herd are 16-5-2 ATS in their last 23 home games vs. a team with a winning road record. Marshall is 4-1 at home this season with its only loss to Cincinnati. Bet Marshall Friday.

The Kent State Golden Flashes have been one of the more improved teams in the country this season. They are only 3-6, but they have been much more competitive this year than last year. Each of their last three losses have come by 7 points or fewer. And while they are 2-3 in conference play, they are actually outscoring opponents by 9.8 points per game in MAC action.

I think the Golden Flashes will give a big effort here at home Thursday night in this standalone MAC game. This is their final stand if they want to stay alive for a bowl game since they have six losses on the season. They played both Ohio (38-45) and Toledo (33-35) tough on the road, and Miami Ohio (16-23) at home. Those are three of the best teams in the MAC. If they can hang with them, they can certainly hang with Buffalo tonight.

The Bulls come in overvalued on a three-game winning streak while also covering four in a row. Their wins over bottom feeders Akron and Eastern Michigan weren’t impressive at all. And their win over Central Michigan was very fluky because the Chippewas gave the game away with five turnovers.

Kent State isn’t a team that beats itself with turnovers as the Golden Flashes haven’t committed more than two in any game this season, and they’ve only committed nine in nine games on the season. Buffalo has been relying on turnovers during its 4-0 ATS streak, forcing a total of 12 turnovers in its last four games overall. I don’t trust teams that rely on forcing turnovers to win games.

Kent State is 11-2 ATS in its last 13 home games after covering the spread in three of its last four coming in. Plays on underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points (Kent State) - off a road cover where they lost as an underdogs, with 6-plus more total starters returning than their opponent are 25-5 (83.3%) ATS since 1992. Roll with Kent State Thursday.

The Toledo Rockets sit at 6-3 and are in control of their own destiny in winning the MAC West. They have the head-to-head tiebreaker with Western Michigan after beating the Broncos at home. The position they are in assures they will show up week in and week out to try and win the MAC West.

Now the Rockets host a poor Northern Illinois team that is just 3-6 this season and clearly in rebuilding mode. The Huskies are coming off an ugly 10-48 road loss to Central Michigan in which they gave up 615 total yards and committed four turnovers. I don’t understand why they are getting so much respect from oddsmakers. Their name carries some weight, but this has been a rebuilding project all year after losing their head coach in the offseason.

Toledo is 5-0 SU & 4-1 ATS at home this season, outscoring opponents by 12.8 points per game. Their offense has lit up the scoreboard with 35.2 points and 489.6 yards per game at home this year. Northern Illinois is 1-5 on the road, getting outscored by 16.4 points per game. Their offense has only managed 19.3 points per game on the highway this season, and I just don’t see how they are going to keep up with Toledo on the scoreboard in this one.

The Rockets also have the matchup advantage. They rush for 250 yards per game and 5.4 per carry on the season. Well, Northern Illinois gives up 175 rushing yards per game and 4.8 per carry. They give up 0.8 yards per carry more than their opponents rush for on average. The Rockets should be able to run the football at will on them.

Northern Illinois is 1-8 ATS off a game where it forced zero turnovers over the last three seasons. The Huskies are 2-8 ATS int heir last 10 games after allowing more than 40 points in their previous game. The Rockets are 5-1 ATS in their last six games following an ATS loss. Bet Toledo Wednesday.

There has been snow and rain in Akron all day Tuesday. There is a chance of precipitation all day today. The temperature will be around 23 degrees by game time and it will be windy. These are perfect conditions for a bet on the UNDER tonight.

Akron is challenging UMass for the worst team in football. The Zips are 0-9 SU & 0-9 ATS. Their biggest problem has been their putrid offense, which averages just 10.2 points and 255.6 yards per game on the season. The Zips have scored a total of 9 points in their last four games, an average of just 2.3 points per game.

It’s not like Eastern Michigan has been lighting up the scoreboard since getting into MAC play, either. The Eagles are scoring just 24.2 points per game in their five MAC games this season. And the Zips have at least been respectable defensively this season in giving up 390 yards per game and 5.4 per play.

These teams met last year with Eastern Michigan winning 27-7 for 34 combined points. I think we see a similar output from both teams tonight as this game stays well UNDER the total.

Akron is 10-1 UNDER vs. teams that allow 200 or more rushing yards per game over the last three seasons. The Zips are 8-1 UNDER vs. teams who allow 31 or more points per game over the last two years. The UNDER is 4-0 in Eagles last four games following a double-digit home loss. The UNDER is 6-1 in Zips last seven Tuesday games. The UNDER is 43-18 in Zips last 61 conference games. The UNDER is 35-17 in Zips last 52 home games. Roll with the UNDER in this game Tuesday.

It’s like everyone wrote off Georgia after a fluky loss to South Carolina in which they outgained the Gamecocks by 171 yards and should have won. This is still one of the best teams in the country. And after opening ranked 6th in the initial playoff rankings, they can certainly use some style points here down the stretch. That’s part of the reason why I’m laying the 16 points here with the Bulldogs.

Georgia was dominant last week in its 24-17 win over Florida in which the Bulldogs outgained the Gators by 120 yards. Jake Fromm proved there was nothing wrong with him, throwing for 279 yards and two touchdowns without an interception against a very good Florida defense. The Bulldogs held the Gators to a season-low 278 yards, including 21 rushing on 19 carries.

Georgia has outgained all eight of its opponents this season and six of those by 120 yards or more. The Bulldogs are outgaining opponents by over 194 yards per game and outscoring them by 23.1 points per game on the season. They have an elite defense that allows 11.4 points and 268.1 yards per game.

Missouri is 5-0 at home this season against a soft schedule, but the Tigers are 0-3 SU & 0-3 ATS on the road. They are scoring just 17.3 points per game on the highway and getting outscored by 11.7 points per game. This despite the fact that they have had a soft road schedule and have been double-digit favorites in all three road games. They lost 31-37 as 15.5-point favorites at Wyoming, lost 14-21 as 21.5-point favorites at Vanderbilt, and lost 7-29 as 10-point favorites at Kentucky. They have failed to cover the spread by a combined 82 points in their three road games.

Now, the Tigers face their stiffest test of the season on the road at Georgia this week. They are getting too much respect from oddsmakers as only 16-point dogs given what we’ve seen from them on the highway thus far this season. Part of the reason the line is low is because Missouri is off a bye, but QB Kelly Bryant came up limp with a hamstring injury last game and won’t be fully healthy even with the bye. And Georgia had a bye before Florida, so the Bulldogs will still be fresh this week. And like I said the Bulldogs need style points so they will be plenty motivated this week.

The Bulldogs are 6-1 ATS in their last seven November games. Georgia is 7-2 ATS in its last nine conference games. Georgia is 12-5 ATS in its last 17 vs. a team with a winning record. The Tigers are 0-4 ATS in their last four road games. I like the fact that this is a night game and the fans will be rowdy in a great atmosphere in Athens. Bet Georgia Saturday.

The LSU Tigers finally have the team to beat Alabama. The Les Miles era is over, and there’s a new sheriff in town in Ed Orgeron. Orgeron has proven himself quickly at LSU by going 7-1 SU against Top 10 teams in his last eight matchups against them. I really believe LSU is neck and neck with Ohio State as the best team in the country this year.

The reason LSU has a chance to beat Alabama finally is because they have their best offense in program history. The Tigers have gone to a more up-tempo passing game to take advantage of all their athletes. The result has been an average of 46.7 points and 535.9 yards per game this season. Joe Burrow is a Heisman favorite while completing 78.8% of his passes for 2,805 yards with a 30-to-4 TD/INT ratio while averaging 10.8 yards per attempt.

LSU has proven its meddle against a much tougher schedule than that of Alabama. LSU has played the 34th-toughest schedule, while Alabama has played the 59th. LSU has already played and disposed of two top 10 teams in Florida and Auburn. And I think the fact that they only beat Auburn 23-20 last time out actually has them undervalued here.

That was a hugely misleading final as LSU outgained Auburn by 221 yards and racked up 508 total yards on what is a very good Auburn defense. They also had 42 points and 511 total yards against Florida’s vaunted defense. You would be hard-pressed finding two better defenses in the country. Now the Tigers get to go up against what is a weak Alabama defense by their standards. Alabama has allowed 23 points to South Carolina, 31 points to Ole Miss and 28 points to Texas A&M this season. None of those offenses compare to the one LSU is going to throw at them.

No question Alabama also has an explosive offense. But QB Tua Tagovailoa won’t be 100% after having knee surgery at the end of October. And there’s an outside shot he doesn’t play. Either way, this will be the best defense that Alabama has faced this season, and it’s not even close. LSU gives up just 20.0 points and 315.4 yards per game on the year. The Tigers still have the same type of dominant defense they always have, except this year they have an offense that can compliment it.

LSU is 13-3 ATS in its last 16 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. The Tigers are 5-0 ATS in their last five road games overall. The Crimson Tide are 0-5 ATS in their last five games following an ATS win. Alabama is 0-5 ATS in its last five home games vs. a team with a winning road record. The road team is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings. Orgeron is 11-1 ATS vs. good passing teams averaging 8 or more yards per attempt as the coach of LSU. Bet LSU Saturday.

I love the spot for for the Arizona State Sun Devils here. They opened 5-1, but back-to-back road losses to Utah and UCLA have dropped them to 5-3 on the season. Now they have had two weeks to stew over those losses and get ready for USC coming to town this week. They’ll be rested and ready to go and highly motivated for a victory in Tempe Saturday.

The Clay Helton rumors are swirling at USC after an ugly 24-56 home loss to USC last week. He is squarely on the hot seat and may be losing his team. Of course, it doesn’t help that the Trojans are more banged up than most teams in the country. They are missing key players all over the field on both sides of the ball, which hasn’t helped their cause.

USC is 1-3 SU & 1-3 ATS on the road this season. They lost to BYU, Washington and Notre Dame and were extremely fortunate to beat Colorado 35-31 as 10.5-point favorites, needing to come back from a 10-point deficit in the final six minutes to escape with victory from the jaws of defeat. They’ll fall to 1-4 on the highway with yet another loss Saturday.

Arizona State has one of the best defenses in the country, and that is going to be the difference in this game. The Sun Devils allow 21.1 points, 358 yards per game and 5.1 yards per play this season. USC allows 28.3 points, 426.7 yards per game and 5.9 per play this season.

I think the bye week is huge for freshman QB Jayden Daniels and his growth. Daniels has an 11-to-2 TD/INT ratio this season, is averaging 8.5 yards per attempt, and has added 273 rushing yards and three scores. Daniels should be able to find plenty of success against this soft, banged-up USC defense that just gave up 56 points to Oregon last week.

Arizona State is a tremendous 13-1 ATS in its last 14 home games when playing with two or more weeks’ rest. The Sun Devils are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 home games off a road game where both teams scored 31 points or more. Clay Helton is 0-8 ATS as a road dog of 7 points or less as the coach of USC. The Trojans are losing by 17.0 points per game in this spot. The Trojans are 7-18-1 ATS in their last 26 road games. Bet Arizona State Saturday.

The Illinois Fighting Illini sit at 5-4 and on the verge of making their first bowl game since 2014. It is Year 3 in the Lovie Smith era, and he is finally putting his stamp on this program. I look for the Fighting Illini to continue the momentum they have built over the last 3-4 weeks and to give Michigan State a run for its money Saturday.

Illinois is 3-1 SU & 4-0 ATS in its last four games overall. The run actually started when they trailed 28-0 against Michigan and fought back to make it 28-25 before eventually coming up short. The Fighting Illini pulled the upset of the season the next week in a 24-23 win as 29-point home dogs to Wisconsin. And they’ve gone on to prove that loss wasn’t a fluke and to avoid a letdown by beating Purdue 24-6 on the road and Rutgers 38-10 at home.

Michigan State went just 3-9 a few years ago, and it is having another disastrous season in 2019. The Spartans sit at 4-4 and are coming off three straight ugly losses to Ohio State (10-34), Wisconsin (0-38) and Penn State (7-28). Those were three games they had circled coming into they season, and they lost all three in blowout fashion. I can’t see them getting back up off the mat in time to want to put Illinois away by more than two touchdowns, which is what it’s going to take to cover this inflated 14.5-point spread. And it’s a sandwich spot with rival Michigan on deck next week.

As has been the case throughout the years, it’s just tough to lay big numbers with Michigan State because of their offense. The Spartans only average 21.7 points per game this season and have been a dumpster fire on that side of the ball once again. And I know Michigan State is coming off a bye, but how excited could they have been on that bye week off three straight losses and their season ruined? I think Illinois is ‘all in’ this week knowing it has a bye on deck next week.

Mark Dantonio is 1-9 ATS in home games after scoring 3 points or less in the first half last game as the coach of Michigan State. Dantonio is 1-8 ATS off a loss by 21 or more points as the coach of the Spartans. Illinois is 14-4 ATS in its last 18 road games off a game where it committed zero turnovers. The Spartans are 2-10 ATS in all home games over the last two seasons. Michigan State is 0-5 ATS in its last five vs. a team with a winning record.

Plays against home favorites (Michigan State) - after scoring 17 points or less in two straight games against an opponent that scored 37 or more points last game are 24-4 (85.7%) ATS over the last 10 seasons. Roll with Illinois Saturday.

The Stanford Cardinal have done a great job of keeping it together following a tough start to the season. They have had to start three different quarterbacks due to injuries, and they’ve had some injuries along the offensive line that have forced several freshmen into action. The bye week came at a great time here as the Cardinal have had two weeks to get healthy and get ready for Colorado this weekend.

Now, the Cardinal are as healthy as they have been at any point this season. They sit at 4-4 and have their sights set on a bowl game when it didn’t seem possible when they were sitting at 1-3. They have gone 3-1 since and got starting QB K.J. Costello back from injury last time out in a 41-31 home win over Arizona. He makes all the difference for this team as he decided to forego the NFL and come back for his senior season. Their only loss during this stretch came when they had to start their 3rd-string QB against UCLA.

Colorado basically has nothing to play for at this point sitting at 3-6 on the season. The Buffaloes won’t be winning their final three games to make a bowl because they still have to play Washington and Utah. They have lost five straight coming in going 0-5 SU & 1-4 ATS. They are just 1-5 in Pac-12 play and getting outscored by 16.0 points per game. I think we are getting Stanford very cheap here as only 3-point favorites.

The Cardinal are 4-1 SU & 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings. The Buffaloes are 0-8-1 ATS in their last nine November games. Colorado is 2-8 ATS in its last 10 games following a loss. The Buffaloes are 7-18-1 ATS in their last 26 conference games. Stanford is 30-13 ATS in its last 43 November road games. The Buffaloes are 0-12 ATS after failing to cover the spread in two of their last three games over the past three seasons. Take Stanford Saturday.

Florida State had their 36-year bowl streak snapped last season with a 5-7 record. It was the longest streak in college football. They have no motivation to keep that streak alive now that it was snapped last season. I have no doubt players are just ready to be done with this disastrous season.

Willie Taggart was fired over the weekend after an ugly 10-27 home loss to rival Miami. The Seminoles managed just 203 total yards against Miami and were outgained by 150 yards. Odell Haggins takes over as interim coach. And while he’s trying to say all the right things, I just have no doubt players won’t respond. I expect them to lose this game at Boston College and the regular season finale at Florida to miss out on a bowl again.

Boston College is really showing some life here down the stretch. Few teams have been more undervalued than the Eagles. They are 5-1 ATS in their last six games overall with their only losses coming at Clemson, to Wake Forest by 3 and at Louisville by 2.

They beat NC State by 21 and won at Syracuse by 31 in two of their last three games that surrounded the blowout loss at Clemson. Their offense racked up 532 yards on NC State including 429 rushing. They added 691 yards against Syracuse and rushed for 496. Look for their offensive line to dominate Florida State’s defensive line, and winning the battle in the trenches is going to be their key to getting a win here.

The Eagles know this is their best chance to clinch a bowl game as they sit at 5-4 on the year. They still have road games coming up against Notre Dame and Pitt to close the season, ending a stretch of four of their final five games away from home. That makes this Senior Day for them and their final home game, only adding too their motivation.

The Seminoles are 1-8-3 ATS in their last 12 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. The Eagles are 7-2 ATS in their last nine vs. a team with a losing record. Boston College is 10-1 ATS vs. poor passing defenses allowing 58% completions or worse over the last three seasons. Florida State is 1-9 ATS after playing a hoe game over the last two seasons. The Seminoles are 0-10 ATS off two consecutive games where they forced one or fewer turnovers over the last three years. The Eagles are 18-7-1 ATS in their last 26 conference games. Take Boston College Saturday.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers will be playing the disrespected card this week leading up to this huge showdown with Penn State. I guarantee you PJ Fleck has told his players that nobody believes in them after they came out ranked No. 17 in the initial college football playoff rankings. I think they will be ‘all in’ and that ranking actually takes the pressure off of them from being unbeaten and puts more of the pressure on Penn State in this game as the road favorite.

Fleck is quickly proving himself as one of the best head coaches in the country. He went 5-7 in his first season, took them to a bowl and a 7-6 record in his second season, and now has them 8-0 and in the playoff conversation in his third year. I realize it has come against a soft schedule, but you can only play the teams that are in front of you, and what impresses me is how much this veteran team that returned 16 starters is improving as the season goes on.

Indeed, the Gophers are 5-0 ATS in Big Ten play this season. They went on the road and beat Purdue as underdogs 38-31. They blew out Illinois 40-17 as 14-point home favorites, the same Illinois team that is on a three-game winning streak with a win over Wisconsin. They crushed Nebraska 34-7 as 7.5-point favorites. They handled their business at Rutgers 42-7 as 28-point favorites. And they crushed Maryland 52-10 as 14-point favorites. It’s not like they are squeaking by teams, outscoring their five Big Ten opponents by 26.8 points per game and outgunning them by 201.2 yards per game.

Penn State is the team that is the fraud coming in. The Nittany Lions are 8-0, but they have been outgained in four of their eight games. They were outgained by Buffalo, Pitt, Iowa and Michigan and fortunate to win all four of those games. To compare, Minnesota has only been outgained once in its eight games this season. No team that gets outgained in half of their games should be 8-0.

Plays on underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points (Minnesota) - after scoring 42 points in two straight games are 45-15 (75%) ATS over the last five seasons. Penn State is 4-14 ATS in its last 18 road games vs. excellent defensive teams that allow 285 or fewer yards per game. The Nittany Lions are 7-23 ATS in their last 30 road games after allowing 9 points or less last game. Penn State is 1-7 ATS in its last eight games off an ATS win. The Golden Gophers are 6-0 ATS in their last six conference games. Roll with Minnesota Saturday.

15* Washington/Oregon State Pac-12 Late-Night BAILOUT on Oregon State +10.5

After losing three of their last four games to Stanford, Oregon and Utah, the Washington Huskies have nothing to play for now. They had dreams of winning the Pac-12, but those dreams are crushed now. They best they can do is go to a bowl game at 5-4. I think they suffer a hangover from their tough 28-33 home loss to Utah last week.

Oregon State has life and momentum right now. The Beavers have won three of their last four to improve to 4-4 on the season. They now have a legitimate shot of going to a bowl game. It’s a team that has been grossly underrated all season, especially since they got into Pac-12 play. The Beavers are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games overall.

Most impressively, Oregon State’s last three wins have all come on the road in upset fashion. The Bears upset UCLA 48-31 as 4.5-point road dogs. After losing at home to Utah, they went back on the road and topped California 21-17 as 10.5-point dogs. And last week they went on the road and topped Arizona 56-38 as 4.5-point dogs. They have covered the spread by a combined 58.5 points in those three games to show just how undervalued they’ve been.

Now, the Beavers are catching double-digits at home against a deflated Washington team. The home crowd will be a huge advantage for them here on this standalone Friday night game as fans are finally excited about this program with a chance to get to a bowl. Head coach Jonathan Smith is doing a fantastic job. He is a former player here, so fans are even more excited for him and this team.

Oregon State boasts the best offense it has had in years. The Beavers are scoring 33.6 points per game and averaging 431.1 yards per game behind a balanced attack that averages 177 rushing yards per game and 5.0 per carry, as well as 254 passing yards per game. And Washington’s defense isn’t nearly as dominant as it once was, giving up 25.3 points and 392.2 yards per game in conference play. It shouldn’t be too surprising considering the Huskies only returned two starts on D this year.

Plays on underdogs of 3.5 to 10.5 points (Oregon State) - a good offensive team (5.6 to 6.2 YPPG) against a team with an average defense (4.8 to 5.6 YPP), after gaining 6.75 or more yards per play in their previous game are 44-14 (75.9%) ATS over the last 10 seasons. The Beavers are 31-11 ATS in their last 42 games after covering the spread in four of their last five games coming in. The Huskies are 4-11 ATS in their last 15 conference games. Take Oregon State Friday.

Charlie Strong deserves a lot of credit for turning around USF’s season following a 1-3 start. The Bulls have gone 3-1 since with an upset home win over BYU and blowout road wins over UConn by 26 and ECU by 25 to improve to 4-4 on the season. Their only loss during this stretch came on the road against a powerhouse Navy team.

Now, the Bulls sit at 4-4 and with a legitimate chance to make a bowl game. If they are going to go bowling, this is a must-win situation for them because they have some very tough games coming up next against Cincinnati, Memphis and UCF. Look for the Bulls to handle their business and pull off the upset at home tonight.

Temple is coming off arguably its three biggest games of the season upsetting Memphis at home, but getting blown out by SMU by 24 on the road and by UCF by 42 at home. And that was a fluky win over Memphis as the Tigers committed four turnovers to give the game away.

South Florida has been able to run the ball at will on opponents, averaging 180 rushing yards per game and 5.0 per carry this season. And during this run they are averaging 263.3 rushing yards per game 6.5 per carry in their last four games overall. Now they face a Temple team that has allowed an average of 291.5 rushing yards per game in their last two games against SMU and UCF. Look for the Bulls to be able to run at will on this Temple defense.

The home team is 5-0 SU & 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings. South Florida has won by 36 and 21 in its two home meetings with Temple during this stretch. And the Bulls were the only team to cover on the road in this series as they only lost 17-27 as 14-point dogs at Temple last year. The Bulls want some revenge from that defeat adding to their motivation. The Owls are 0-4 ATS in their last four road games.

Plays on all teams where the line is +3 to -3 (USF) - after outrushing its last opponent by 150 or more yards against a team that was outrushed by 125 or more yards in their previous game are 27-6 (81.8%) ATS over the last five seasons. Take South Florida Thursday.

The Ohio Bobcats have been overvalued all season because they were the popular pick to win the MAC this year. They have disappointed, going 4-4 SU & 2-6 ATS despite playing the 103rd-ranked schedule in the country. Their inexperience has shown as they returned just 10 starters this year. The Bobcats continue to be overvalued here as 7-point favorites against Miami Ohio.

The Redhawks have also gone 4-4 this season, but it has come against the 60th-ranked schedule in the country. That’s 43 spots tougher than the slate Ohio has faced. They have had to play road games against Iowa, Cincinnati and Ohio State, which have resulted in three of their four losses.

That tough schedule has helped Miami Ohio get ready for MAC play. They have dominated in MAC action, going 3-1 SU & 3-1 ATS with upset home wins over Buffalo and Northern Illinois, as well as an upset road win at Kent State. The fact that they were dogs in all three of those games just goes to show how disrespected this team is and how undervalued they have been after that tough start against that schedule.

Yes, Miami Ohio lost 16-38 at Western Michigan, but that was one of the most misleading finals in the MAC this season. The Redhawks outgained the Broncos by 55 yards and held their explosive offense to just 310 total yards. But they lost the turnover battle 3-1. They only trailed 16-21 in the 4th quarter but the Broncos tacked on 17 points in the final 7:22 to make the final margin look worse than it really was.

Ohio has been outgained in five of its eight games this season and is getting outgained by 35 yards per game on the season. The Bobcats have a leaky defense that allows 446.4 yards per game and 6.4 yards per play against teams that average 398 yards per game and 5.7 per play. They have given up 39 points to Northern Illinois and 38 points to Kent State in two of their last three games, which are two of the worst offenses in the MAC.

Miami Ohio is 9-1 ATS after playing a conference game over the last two seasons. The Redhawks are 10-2 ATS against conference opponents over the last two seasons. The Bobcats are 0-4 ATS in their last four home games. Ohio is 1-5 ATS in its last six games following a bye week. Take Miami Ohio Wednesday.

The Toledo Rockets are undervalued right now because they lost two straight road games to Bowling Green and Ball State in ugly fashion. But as usual, the Rockets have a tremendous home-field advantage, and that will be the case again here in a standalone MAC Tuesday night home game. The Rockets are 4-0 SU & 4-0 ATS at home this season winning by 15.5 points per game.

Kent State is certainly improved this season, but let’s be honest, they haven’t beaten anyone. The Golden Flashes are 3-5 this season with their three wins coming against Kennesaw State (by 3), Bowling Green and Akron. They are 0-5 against everyone else with all five losses by 7 points or more and by an average of 24.8 points per game.

Toledo will have a massive advantage on the ground in this game. The Rockets are rushing for 245 yards per game and 5.4 per carry this season. Kent State gives up a whopping 251 rushing yards per game and 5.1 per carry. I just don’t see how the Golden Flashes are going to get off the field with their run defense. Toledo should be able to score at will.

Toledo is 4-0 SU & 3-1 ATS in its last four meetings with Kent State with all four wins coming by double-digits and by an average of 19 points per game. The home team is 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings. The Golden Flashes are 1-4 ATS in their last five vs. a team with a. Winning record. The Rockets are 4-0 ATS in their last four home games. Toledo is 14-6 ATS in its last 20 vs. a team with a losing record. The Rockets are 4-1 ATS in their last five Tuesday games. Bet Toledo Tuesday.

No team covered more spreads than Fresno State and Jeff Tedford for two seasons running in 2017 and 2018. As a result, the Bulldogs came into 2019 way overvalued, and bettors just seem to be stuck on the past. The fact of the matter is this is a rebuilding year for the Bulldogs as they returned only nine starters, including three on offense. They simply aren’t as good as they were in 2017 and 2018.

Indeed, Fresno State is just 3-4 SU & 2-4-1 ATS through its first seven games of the season. Their three wins have come against Sacramento State by 14 as 24.5-point favorites, New Mexico State by 13 as 21-point favorites, and UNLV by 29 as 16.5-point favorites. Those are two of the worst FBS teams in the country and an FCS team.

When Fresno State has stepped up in class, they have lost. They lost their first two games of the season to USC and Minnesota. Then in conference play they lost 24-43 at Air Force as 3-point dogs and were thoroughly outplayed. And last week they were upset 31-41 by Colorado State at home as 13.5-point favorites. They gave up 500 total yards to Colorado State. Their defense has suffered the biggest drop off as they have allowed 31 or more points four times this year.

Hawaii is one of the most improved teams in the country. The Rainbow Warriors are 5-3 this season with their only losses coming to Washington and Boise State on the road, as well as Air Force at home. They have impressive wins over Arizona and Oregon State in the Pac-12, a dominant 54-3 win at Nevada, and a solid 45-31 win at New Mexico last week.

I think a big reason we are getting Hawaii as less than a field goal favorite was due to that 45-31 win at New Mexico last week. That final score was a lot closer than the game really was. In fact, Hawaii led New Mexico 45-10 with just under eight minutes left in the game. They pulled their starters, and New Mexico tacked on three touchdowns in the final eight minutes. It was certainly a misleading final.

Fresno State’s soft defense that is allowing 31.0 points per game this season will now get a huge test up against an explosive Hawaii offense that is putting up 36.6 points and 488.1 yards per game this season. Head coach Nick Rolovich has implemented the run-and-shoot offense, and his players are executing it to perfection now. It’s a veteran Hawaii team that returned 18 starters this year and is in Year 2 of the season.

Fresno State is 3-12 ATS in its last 15 games off an upset loss a home favorite. The Bulldogs are 5-17 ATS in their last 22 road games off a home loss. Hawaii is 24-10 ATS in its last 34 games after gaining 575 or more total yards in its previous game. Jeff Tedford is 0-8 ATS when he total is 63.5 to 70 in all games he has coached having never covered the spread in this situation. Tedford is also 12-26 ATS when the line is +3 to -3 in all games he has coached. Take Hawaii Saturday.

The UCLA Bruins have the same feel of last year. They started terribly last year and finished strong. And this year they are doing the same thing. They played as tough a schedule as anyone in the early going and opened 1-5. But they have since pulled outright upsets over Stanford and Arizona State each of the last two weeks in dominant fashion.

Now, at 3-5 the Bruins feel like they can make a run at a bowl game. They still have home games against Colorado and California left which are two games they should win. And I’m taking them this week against Colorado in a game they only have to win by a touchdown or more to cover this 6.5-point spread.

Two weeks ago, UCLA got Dorian Thompson-Robinson back at QB from injury after he had miss the previous two games in losses to Oregon State and Arizona. It made all the difference. UCLA blitzed Stanford 34-16 on the road and outgained the Cardinal by 257 yards while racking up 455 total yards.

Last week, I was on UCLA as 4-point home dogs to Arizona State. They stormed out to a 42-10 lead by the end of the third quarter before pulling their starters. Arizona State actually outscored UCLA 22-0 in the fourth quarter to make it a misleading 42-32 final. I think that works in our favor here. If UCLA had won 42-10 like they should have, the Bruins would be more than 6.5-point favorites here.

I also think Colorado is getting too much respect for its close 31-35 home loss to USC last week. Well, that was a USC team in a sandwich spot off a big game against Notre Dame the previous week, and with a game on deck against Oregon. The Trojans came out flat and it nearly cost them. But they rallied from a 10-point deficit in the final six minutes to win. Now, Colorado has to be deflated from that defeat because it was their chance to beat USC for the first time in school history. I think the Buffaloes now suffer a hangover from that loss.

It’s not like the Buffaloes were even competitive before that loss to USC, either. They had gone 0-3 SU & 0-3 ATS in their previous three games with an upset home loss to Arizona, and blowout road losses to Oregon (3-45) as 23-point dogs and at Washington State (10-41) as 13.5-point dogs. Simply put, this Colorado team just isn’t very good, going 1-4 in conference play and getting outscored by 15.8 points per game. UCLA is 3-2 SU & 4-1 ATS in conference play, outscoring opponents by 2.4 points per game.

Colorado is 0-11 ATS after failing to cover the spread in two of their last three games over the last three seasons. The Buffaloes are 1-12 ATS after playing a game where 60 or more points per scored over the last three years. The Buffaloes are 0-7-1 ATS in their last eight November games. The Bruins are 5-1-2 ATS in their last eight conference games. Colorado is 2-8 ATS in its last 10 conference games. Bet UCLA Saturday.

This is a great spot to fade the Auburn Tigers. Auburn just suffered its dream-crushing loss to LSU last week. That was the 2nd SEC loss for the Tigers, who certainly won’t be winning the SEC West now. I think they suffer a hangover from that 20-23 defeat to LSU.

Not to mention, it was one of the most misleading finals of the season. LSU outgained Auburn by 221 yards. They moved the ball up and down the field on Auburn’s defense with 508 total yards. But they just couldn’t convert in the red zone, which was the only reason it was even close. Bo Nix had another terrible game completing just 15 of his 35 pass attempts for 157 yards. Now Auburn has to try and get back up off the mat and put away Ole Miss by three touchdowns or more. That’s a lot to ask

Ole Miss is coming off a bye week and will be rested and ready to go. It’s an Ole Miss team that is 3-1 ATS in its last four games overall and improving. Ole Miss lost 17-24 to Texas A&M last time out. But they were covering almost the entire way in that game as 6-point dogs.

Texas A&M got a 62-yard fumble recovery TD that gave them their first lead of the game, and they scored another TD with only 2:34 left. Ole Miss outgained Texas A&M by 65 yards and held them to 340 total yards. I’ve been very impressed with the improvement of this Ole Miss defense this season under new coordinator Mike MacIntyre. And the offense is coming around under Rich Rodriquez. They scored 31 points on Alabama and another 27 at Missouri in their two most recent road games.

I think the Rebels can go into Auburn and give the Tigers a run for their money this weekend given the favorable spot for the them off the bye week. And I know I’m going to get max effort out of this Ole Miss team because they sit at 3-5 and are desperate to make a bowl game after missing out on a bowl game by one win with a 5-7 record. This is kind of their ‘all in’ game this week.

Ole Miss has only lost one of its last eight meetings with Auburn by more than 18 points. And that was a 21-point loss a couple years ago. The Rebels haven’t lost by more than 21 points in any of the last 13 meetings in this series as well. As you can see, they have pretty much been competitive in every game with Auburn over the last 13 years, especially when factoring in this point-spread range as a level of competitiveness.

Plays against any team (Auburn) a good offensive team (34 PPG or more) against an average defensive team (21-28 PPG) after 7-plus games, after a loss by 3 points or less are 40-14 (74.1%) ATS since 1992. Bet Ole Miss Saturday.

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are just 2-5 SU & 1-6 ATS this season. The betting public wants nothing to do with them. It’s a good time to ‘buy low’ on them, just as I did in their last game in their upset win at Miami as 18-point underdogs. And now they are coming off a bye week, so they will be rested and ready to go while taking away a ton of confidence from that Miami victory.

Georgia Tech has been more competitive than a 2-5 team. They were only outgained by more than 49 yards twice, which came against Clemson and North Carolina. They were only outgained by Temple by 18 yards in a misleading 2-24 road loss. They actually outgained Duke by 6 yards in a misleading 23-41 road loss. And they were only outgained by 12 yards by Miami, so there was nothing fluky about that 28-21 (OT) upset road win over the Hurricanes. It’s safe to say first-year head coach Geoff Collins is doing a great job, and teams with first-year head coaches benefit from bye weeks more than most.

No question the Pittsburgh Steelers have been impressive this season with a 5-3 record. But they aren’t the type of team you want to be laying big points with. In fact, each of Pitt’s last six games have all been decided by 7 points or less. They only have one win by more than 7 points this year, and that was a lackluster 20-10 home win over Ohio. What makes it tough to lay points with Pittsburgh is their weak offense, which is averaging just 21.0 points per game this season.

Pitt and Georgia Tech have met six times since the Panthers joined the ACC. The series is tied 3-3, but Pitt’s three wins have all come by 5 points or less. That’s why getting 7.5 points here with the Yellow Jackets at home is such a tremendous value, especially since they are off a bye week and Pitt is coming off a physical, taxing 12-16 home loss to Miami.

Pittsburgh is 15-30 ATS in its last 45 road games off a home loss. The Panthers are 13-29 ATS in their last 42 road games off a game where they committed three or more turnovers. Georgia Tech is 18-6 ATS in its last 24 games off an upset win as a road underdog. The Yellow Jackets are 19-7-1 ATS in their last 27 games following an ATS win. The underdog is 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings. Roll with Georgia Tech Saturday.

The is a great spot to fade the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. This is a team that went 12-0 in the regular season last year and made the four-team playoff. They expected to get back. Now, after suffering their second loss of the season in a ugly 31-point loss at Michigan last week, their dreams of making the playoff have been crushed. I think they suffer a hangover effect this week as a result.

The Fighting Irish catch a Virginia Tech team coming off a bye and coming in with momentum. Everyone left the Hokies for dead after a 35-point loss to Duke to fall to 2-2. Since then, they’ve gone 3-0 with an upset road win over Miami and an upset home win over North Carolina. I think it puts to rest any of the doubts that people had about head coach Justin Fuente.

A big reason for the Hokies’ turnaround this season has been inserting QB Hendon Hooker into the lineup for that Miami game. He has run away with the QB job ever since and has led the Hokies to an average of 39.7 points per game in his three starts. Hooker has a 7-to-0 TD/INT ratio and is averaging 9.5 yards per attempt in those three wins and adds a running element, rushing for 156 yards and a score on 48 carries. He has everyone on the team believing in him, which is key.

Notre Dame just hasn’t been that impressive this season. They were either outgained or only outgained five of their seven opponents by 47 or fewer yards. The only exceptions were against terrible Bowling Green and New Mexico teams. They only outgained USC by 47 and Virginia by 5 yards at home. They only outgained Louisville by 31 yards on the road. They were outgained at Georgia and outgained by 257 yards at Michigan.

Plays against home teams (Notre Dame) - a good offensive team scoring 35 or more points per game, off a loss by 21 points or more are 68-32 (68%) ATS over the last 10 seasons. Justin Fuente is 10-2 ATS coming off a bye week in all games he has coached. Take Virginia Tech Saturday.

Navy is coming off a massive 41-38 home win over Tulane last week to move to 6-1 and put themselves in a great position to play for an AAC title. I think this is a big letdown spot for the Midshipmen, who will have a hard time getting up for UConn enough to win this game by four touchdowns or more, which is what it will take to cover this massive 27.5-point spread.

Connecticut is vastly improved this season under Randy Edsall. They were the youngest team in the country last year, and while still young, Randy Edsall has done a great job of developing his players and getting them to be much more competitive this year. They are 2-6 SU but have covered each of their last two games in impressive fashion.

Two weeks ago, UConn outgained Houston by 152 yards but lost 17-24 as 21-point home dogs. It was one of the most misleading finals of the season as the Huskies should have won that game outright. And last week they went on the road and blitzed UMass 56-35 as 9.5-point favorites and racked up 539 total yards in the win.

Navy isn’t the type of team to rub the opponent’s noses in the dirt. If they get up in this game, they aren’t going to keep trying to pour it on. Plus, their triple-option offense isn’t built for covering big spreads like this. They are built for long, extended drives on the ground that keep the clock moving. This is the biggest favorite role the Midshipmen have been in all season. They were 21.5-point favorites against Holy Cross in their opener to compare. I think the Midshipmen are being overvalued now due to their 6-1 record.

UConn is 20-8 ATS in its last 28 November home games. The Huskies are 12-2 ATS in their last 12 games after three consecutive games where they committed one or fewer turnovers. Navy is 1-5 ATS in its last six road games vs. a team with a losing home record. The Huskies will be highly motivated for this nationally televised home game and a chance to pull a huge upset against a 6-1 Navy team. We’ll get their best effort tonight. Bet UConn Friday.

15* CFB Thursday Total DOMINATOR on Georgia Southern/App State UNDER 44.5

Two teams who love to run the football and who both have good defenses square off Thursday in this Sun Belt showdown between Georgia Southern and Appalachian State. The clock will be running constantly due to both teams running the football. This game has all the makings of a low-scoring, defensive battle, especially since it will be windy (17 MPH-plus) with a good chance of rain during game time.

Georgia Southern runs the triple-option. The Eagles average 53 rushing attempts for 261 yards per game and 5.0 per carry. They only average 10 pass attempts per game. They’ll be up against a very good Appalachian State defense that is allowing 19 points, 326.6 yards per game and 5.0 yards per play. The Mountaineers are only giving up 13.5 points, 249.7 yards per game and 4.2 yards per play in their four conference games. They also only give up 140 rushing yards per game and 3.9 per carry on the season.

Appalachian State has a decent offense, there’s no question about that. They are good at running the football and also run it a lot, averaging 44 attempts for 249 yards per game and 5.7 per carry. But they have feasted on some bad run defenses this season. Georgia Southern has a good defense, giving up 342 yards per game and 5.2 per play, holding opponents to 80 yards per game and 0.9 per play less than their season averages. The Eagles have been very good against the run, giving up 134 rushing yards per game and 3.5 per carry.

The UNDER is 4-1 in the last five meetings in this series. They have combined for 48 or fewer points in all five meetings, and 44 or less in three of them. Georgia Southern has averaged just 15.8 points and 234.3 yards per game in their last four meetings with Appalachian State. The Eagles did hold the Mountaineers to just 288 total yards last year and forced five turnovers in an upset victory.

Georgia Southern is 9-0 UNDER In its last nine games after allowing 125 or less passing yards in its last game. The UNDER is 14-3 in Eagles last 17 games off a win by more than 20 points. The UNDER is 8-2 in Eagles last 10 Thursday games. The UNDER is 5-1 in Mountaineers last six conference games.

Plays on the UNDER on all teams where the total is between 42.5 to 49 (Appalachian State) - after allowing 14 points or less in two straight games against an opponent after allowing 7 points or les sin the first half of two straight games are 25-4 (86.2%) over the last five seasons. Take the UNDER in this game Thursday.

The Oregon Ducks are coming off a massive comeback road win over Washington last week. The Ducks trailed that game by double-digits most the way before coming on strong in the second half to escape with a victory from the jaws of defeat. I think they are now being overvalued off that huge win here laying more than two touchdowns to a good Washington State team. It’s also a sandwich spot with a road game at USC on deck.

Washington State put an end to a tough three-game losing streak with an emphatic 41-10 home win over Colorado last week. They blew late leads against both UCLA and Arizona State or they’d be 6-1 this season. I think the fact that they are only 4-3 has them undervalued this week.

Overlooking Washington State has been a regular occurrence every year for Oregon. It’s clear that the Cougars get up for this game more than the Ducks do, and Mike Leach has them figured out. Washington State is a perfect 9-0 ATS in the last nine meetings, covering the spread by a whopping 152 combined points in those nine meetings. That’s an average cover of 16.9 points per game. The Cougars have gone 4-0 SU & 4-0 ATS in their last four meetings with the Ducks and haven’t lost to them by more than 7 points in any of the last five meetings.

Washington State is 9-0 ATS vs. good passing teams that average 250 or more yards per game over the last three seasons. The Cougars are 7-0 ATS when the total is 63.5 to 70 over the last three years. Throw in the 9-0 ATS in the last nine meetings, and we have a combined 25-0 system backing the Cougars here. Roll with Washington State Saturday.

We saw last season the UCLA Bruins improve greatly as the season went on in Year 1 under Chip Kelly. And I think we will see the same thing in the second half this season as the Bruins try and chase down a bowl game after a slow start.

The biggest reason for UCLA’s slow start is the schedule. Their schedule ranks as the 6th-toughest in the country thus far. A big reason for that is a brutal non-conference schedule that featured Cincinnati, San Diego State and Oklahoma. They got off to a 1-5 start this season and had their stud QB in in Dorian Thompson-Robinson getting hurt.

Thompson-Robinson missed part of the Arizona loss and the entire Oregon State loss, which explains that defeat. But he returned against Stanford last week and led the Bruins to an impressive 34-16 road victory as 4-point dogs to the Cardinal. Now, UCLA has two winnable home games in a row coming up against ASU and Colorado, and if they can win those two games they’d get to 4-5 and in great shape for a bowl game. That is clearly the goal here.

I think Arizona State is one of the most overrated teams in the country. The Sun Devils are ranked No. 24 in the country and off to a 5-2 start this season. But they had a fluky win at Michigan State where they were outgained by 188 yards, they were upset by Colorado at home, they needed a last-second TD to beat Washington State at home, and they only beat Cal by 7 and Sacramento State by 12 as 35.5-point favorites. They are fortunate to be 5-2 to say the least.

Arizona State’s true colors showed last week in a 3-21 road loss to Utah where they managed just 136 yards of total offense. And it’s that dreadful offense that makes it hard for ASU to be laying points on the road here to UCLA, which has the better offense in this matchup, especially with a healthy DTR at QB. Arizona Stae is averaging just 22.1 points and 365 yards per game this season, including 12.3 points and 239 yards per game in their three road games.

The Sun Devils are 4-14 ATS in their last 18 road games after having won five or six of their last seven games coming in. The Bruins are 4-1-2 ATS in their last seven conference games. UCLA is 11-5 ATS in the last 16 meetings, including 6-2 ATS in the last eight home meetings. Take UCLA Saturday.

The Missouri Tigers are notorious for beating up on bad teams and losing when they step up in class. But they even lost to a bad team last week, falling 14-21 as 21.5-point favorites at Vanderbilt. And there’s no way they should be laying double-digits on the road here against Kentucky.

I was very impressed with how well Kentucky played last week in a 21-0 loss at Georgia. They were only outgained by 99 yards by the Bulldogs. Three of Kentucky’s four losses have come on the road this season. They are 3-1 at home and should be 4-0 as they missed a chip shot field goal that would have likely given them the upset win over Florida. Instead, the Gators scored on the next play from scrimmage to win 29-21. If they can play Florida that tough at home, they certainly will have a chance to pull off the upset here against Missouri.

The weather is going to help the Wildcats, too. There is a 100% chance of precipitation. Kentucky wants to run the ball anyway with WR turned QB Lynn Bowden Jr. He rushed for 196 yards and two touchdowns against Arkansas two weeks ago. And last week he rushed for 99 yards on 17 carries against Georgia’s vaunted defense.

Missouri has faced the 77th-toughest schedule in the country this season. Kentucky has faced the 20th-toughest schedule according to Sagarin, a difference of 57 spots. So I think the Tigers are overrated and that showed last week in their upset loss at Vanderbilt. And Kentucky is underrated due to the difficulty of their schedule thus far.

Kentucky has Missouri’s number. The Wildcats are 3-1 SU & 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings. They pulled two outright upsets as more than a touchdown underdogs. I’m not so sure Missouri should even be favored in this game, let alone a double-digit favorite. The Tigers are 0-5 ATS in their last five road games vs. a team with a losing home record. The Wildcats are 4-0 ATS in their last four home games. Roll with Kentucky Saturday.

Forecasts are calling for 100% chance of precipitation in Lexington for this game between Kentucky and Missouri. As a result, I’ll back the UNDER in what will be a low-scoring game due to the poor weather, and the resulting game plans by both teams to almost exclusively run the football.

Kentucky wants to run the ball anyway with WR turned QB Lynn Bowden Jr. He rushed for 196 yards and two touchdowns against Arkansas two weeks ago. And last week he rushed for 99 yards on 17 carries against Georgia’s vaunted defense. Since Bowden Jr. took over at QB, the Wildcats have only passed the ball 28 times in two games, or an average of 14 attempts per game.

Missouri likes to run the football anyway, too. They average 44 rushing attempts per game compared to 32 passing attempts per game. Since both teams are going to be keeping the ball on the ground probably 75% to 80% of the time in this game due to weather, that’s going to keep the clock moving and benefit this UNDER greatly.

The UNDER is 4-0 in Kentucky’s last four games overall with combined scores of 41, 31, 44 and 21 points. The UNDER is 5-1 in Missouri’s last six games overall as they have a worse offense and a better defense than most were expecting coming into the season. These teams combined for just 29 points in their meeting last season, and a similar result can be expected here due to the weather.

Kentucky is 7-0 UNDER in weeks 5 through 9 over the last two seasons. The UNDER is 9-2 in Kentucky’s last 11 conference games. The UNDER is 7-2 in Tigers last nine conference games. The UNDER is 4-1 in the last five meetings. Bet the UNDER in this game Saturday.

This is a great spot to fade the Penn State Nittany Lions. We cashed with Michigan +9 over Penn State last week. And we’re fading them again this week for many of the season reasons. I believe the Nittany Lions are one of the most overrated teams in the country. They are undefeated and ranked No. 6 in the country and you’re paying a heavy price to back them now, so it’s time to ’sell high’.

It’s a tough spot for the Nittany Lions. They are coming off two huge night game victories on the road at Iowa and at home over Michigan. I question how much they have left in the tank. Now they face a rested, hungry Michigan State team that is coming off its bye week.

Everyone has left the Spartans for dead after back-to-back blowout road losses at Ohio State and at Wisconsin, and now it’s time to ‘buy low’ on them. They lost by 24 at Ohio State and 38-0 at Wisconsin. It was a 17-0 game at Wisconsin entering the 4th quarter, and they simply ran out of gas and gave up 21 points in the final period.

But now the Spartans are refreshed with two weeks off and back home. The Spartans are 3-1 at home this season with their only loss a fluky 7-10 loss to Arizona State. They outgained ASU by 188 yards in that game. They are outscoring opponents by 15.3 points and outgaining them by 182 yards per game at home this year.

Michigan State has outgained five of its seven opponents this season. Penn State has actually been outgained by 4 of their 7 opponents, which isn’t the sign of a 7-0 team. They were outgained by Pitt, Buffalo & Michigan at home, and they were also outgained at Iowa. They have only had to play two true road games all season, and one of those was at Maryland, which was essentially a home game for them.

Michigan State owns Penn State, going 5-1 SU & 5-1 ATS in its last six meetings with the Nittany Lions. The Spartans won outright as 13.5 & 9.5-point underdogs the last two years. And I fully expect them to win this game outright and hand the fraudulent Nittany Lions their first loss of the season. Make sure to sprinkle some on the money line, but we’ll take the +6.5 points for some insurance.

Plays on underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points (Michigan State) - off two consecutive losses by 10 points or more to conference opponents, in weeks 5 through 9 are 34-9 (79.1%) ATS over the last five seasons. Bet Michigan State Saturday.

LSU has the best offense in school history this season. There’s no denying that. But they will finally get some resistance against the best defense they have faced all season. And as a result, I think this total of 59.5 between Auburn and LSU has been inflated here Saturday too much due to LSU’s offensive numbers up to this point.

Auburn’s defense gives up 17.1 points, 319 yards per game and 4.7 yards per play this season. They are holding opponents to 12.9 points, 93 yards per game and 1.3 yards per play less than their season averages. This is an elite Auburn defense that might have the best defensive line in the country.

LSU’s defense isn’t too shabby, either. The Tigers give up 20.0 points, 319 yards per game and 4.7 yards per play which is very similar to Auburn’s numbers. And the key here is that Auburn isn’t going to be able to match LSU score for score because freshman QB Bo Nix hasn’t played well on the big stage.

In Auburn’s three games against Oregon, Texas A&M & Florida, Nix has gone a combined 37-of-80 (46.2%) passing for 428 yards for an average of just 142.7 passing yards per game. Auburn’s only hope of keeping this game close is to run the ball and control the clock, which I think they will try and do, and that is going to favor the UNDER.

This has been an UNDER series. In fact, 52 of the last 53 meetings in this series have seen 59 or fewer combined points. That makes for a 52-1 system backing the UNDER pertaining to this 59.5-point total. Take the UNDER in this game Saturday.

Two familiar foes who love to run the football meet in a key AAC showdown when Navy hosts Tulane Saturday. I expect this to be a low-scoring game, and this total of 57.5 is simply too high. The clock will be moving constantly and both of these defenses are good enough to keep this game UNDER the number.

Navy is obviously a triple-option team still that runs the ball an average of 60 times per game. Tulane throws more than last year, but not that much more as they average 45 rushes per game. Navy averages 34 possession minutes per game as its key is to control the clock, and it has worked out well as the Midshipmen are greatly improved at 5-1 this season.

The biggest reason for Navy’s improvement has been their defense. They are only giving up 16.2 points per game, 282 yards per game and 4.6 yards per play, holding opponents to 8.6 points, 81 yards per game and 0.7 yards per play less than their season averages. They have been great at stopping the run, giving up just 97 rushing yards per game and 3.0 per carry and holding opponents to 64 rushing yards per game and 1.0 per carry less than their season averages.

Tulane boasts arguably the best defensive line in the AAC. That gives them a great chance of stopping Navy here. The Green Wave give up 23.1 points, 347 yards per game and 5.2 yards per play this season. They are giving up 142 rushing yards per game and 4.0 per carry, holding opponents to 41 rushing yards per game and 0.6 per carry less than their season averages.

Both of these teams are familiar with one another as this will be the 5th meeting in five years between these teams. That familiarity will help both in stopping the opposing offenses, which clearly favors the defenses. And all four previous meetings have seen 57 or fewer combined points and an average of just 45.3 combined points per game, which is roughly 12 points less than this 57.5-point total. Roll with the UNDER in this game Saturday.

Yes, I’m on Virginia again this week. And yes, it’s for many of the same reason. I really believe this is one of the better teams in the country and they should be 7-0, but since they are not they are still undervalued. I cashed in with them with ease over Duke in a 48-14 win as 3-point favorites last week. And I expect them to cover a similar spread this week against Louisville.

The reason I believe Virginia should be 7-0 is because they lost two games they should have won and are 5-2 instead. One was a 20-35 loss at Notre Dame as a 10.5-point dog. They led at halftime but committed five turnovers and gave the game away in the second half. They were only outgained by 5 yards by Notre Dame. The other was their 9-17 loss at Miami. They had six trips inside the Miami 25-yard line and came away with just three field goals, failing to score a single touchdown. So they basically gave both those games away.

This is a bad spot for Louisville. The Cardinals are coming off a 10-45 home loss to Clemson, and I think they could suffer a hangover from that defeat. They are pretty fortunate to be 4-3 this season because two of their wins came by a combined five points with their 41-39 win over Boston College and 62-59 win over Wake Forest. Their three losses all came by double-digits, including an 18-point home loss to Notre Dame to give them a common opponent.

The Cardinals didn’t play Notre Dame nearly as tough as Virginia did, and Virginia was on the road while Louisville was at home. Another common opponent is Florida State. Virginia beat Florida State 31-24 at home and outgained them by 86 yards, while Louisville lost 24-35 at Florida State and was outgained by 112 yards.

Virginia has the much superior defense in this matchup, and that’s another big reason I trust them more. The Cavaliers are only giving up 19.7 points, 270.3 yards per game and 4.3 yards per play. They are holding opponents to 5.7 points, 86 yards per game and 0.9 yards per play less than their season averages. Louisville gives up 33.4 points, 455.3 yards per game and 6.1 yards per play. Opponents are averaging 4.6 points, 42 yards per game and 0.3 yards per play more than their season averages on Louisville’s defense.

Louisville is 1-9 ATS vs. good offensive teams that score 31 or more points per game over the last two seasons. The Cavaliers are 8-1-2 ATS in their last 11 games after scoring more than 40 points in their previous game. The Cardinals are 1-9 ATS in their last 10 conference games. The Cavaliers are 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings. Bet Virginia Saturday.

The Wyoming Cowboys are one of the most fraudulent teams in college football. They are 5-2 this season but could easily be 2-5. Four of their five wins have come by 13 points or less with the only exception being a blowout win over a bad UNLV team. They beat Idaho by 5 as 27.5-point favorites and New Mexico by 13 as 17-point favorites. They should not be laying 14 points to Nevada here.

The numbers show that Wyoming is a fraud. The Cowboys have been outgained in six of their seven games this season, including by Texas State, Idaho, Tulsa and New Mexico, which are four bad teams. They are getting outgained by 47 yards per game on the season.

Nevada is one of the better teams in the Mountain West. They are 4-3 this season with their only losses coming to Oregon, Hawaii and Utah State. I know they have been going through a QB carousel, but I’m not too concerned about it because Wyoming has an awful offense that won’t be able to put away Nevada no matter who is under center.

Plays on road underdogs of 10.5 to 21 points (Nevada) - off one or more consecutive unders, an average offensive team (21 to 28 PPG) against a good offensive team (28-34 PPG) are 27-6 (81.8%) ATS over the last five seasons. The Cowboys are 1-6 ATS in their last seven vs. a team with a winning record. Take Nevada Saturday.

Bettors just haven’t caught on with how good Ball State is this year because expectations were so low on them coming into the season. And bettors continue to give Ohio too much respect because the Bobcats were picked by many to win the MAC this year as expectations were high. Getting Ball State as only a 2.5-point home favorite over Ohio Saturday is a gift from oddsmakers.

It’s Ball State that is the team capable of winning the MAC this year. They have gone 4-3 SU & 5-2 ATS, including 3-0 SU & 3-0 ATS in MAC play. There were signs early in the season that this team was going to be good before we even got into conference play. They only lost by 10 at Indiana as 17.5-point dogs, and lost by 11 at NC State as 19-point dogs.

The Cardinals then opened MAC play with two straight outright road wins as underdogs over Northern Illinois and Eastern Michigan. Then they blew the doors off another MAC favorite in Toledo 52-14 at home last week. They put up 580 total yards on Toledo and held the Rockets to just 309 total yards, so it wasn’t a fluke.

Ohio is just 3-4 SU & 1-6 ATS this season, yet they continue to get respect from the books. Their three wins have come over Rhode Island, Buffalo (by 1) and Kent State (by 7). They lost on the road to Pitt and Marshall, were blasted by 25 at home by Lafayette in an upset, and were also upset by Northern Illinois at home. They gave up 39 points and 510 total yards to a bad NIU offense, while Ball State held NIU to 20 points and 388 yards to give them a common opponent.

The home team is 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings. It’s time for the Cardinals to exact some revenge on Ohio after getting blown out by them the last two seasons. Take Ball State Saturday.

Everyone has left Northwestern for dead with their 1-5 start this season. This is exactly the time to ‘buy low’ on the Wildcats and head coach Pat Fitzgerald, who thrive in this underdog role with their backs against the wall.

The biggest reason for Northwestern’s struggles this season has been the schedule. In fact, Northwestern has faced the No. 1 toughest schedule in the entire country according to Sagarin. They have played Stanford, Wisconsin and Nebraska on the road, and Ohio State and Michigan State at home. That is simply murderer’s row.

The Wildcats have had an extra day to recover and regroup from their 3-52 home loss to Ohio State last Friday. Now, they face an Iowa Hawkeyes team that is more on their level. And it’s a Hawkeyes team that they own, going 3-0 SU & 3-0 ATS in the last three meetings with two outright wins as double-digit underdogs.

The Hawkeyes feasted on an early easy schedule of Miami Ohio, Rutgers, Iowa State and Middle Tennessee en route to a 4-0 start, and they were fortunate to beat Iowa State. But reality has set in since they got into Big Ten play, going 1-2 SU & 0-3 ATS with their only win coming against Purdue 26-20 as 17.5-point favorites.

Iowa’s offensive line is a mess right now due to injury and poor performance. They are averaging just 57.7 rushing yards per game and 1.9 yards per carry in Big Ten play. Their inability to run the ball is putting too much pressure on QB Nate Stanley, who is also without his favorite receiver in Brandon Smith (33 receptions, 407 yards, 4 TD) due to injury. You just can’t trust this Iowa offense to be laying double-digits on the road.

Northwestern is 21-7 ATS in its last 28 games following a double-digit home loss. The Wildcats are 12-3 ATS in their last 15 games after scoring less than 20 points in their previous game. Northwestern is 6-0 ATS when playing against a team that wins 60% to 75% of their games over the last two years. The Hawkeyes are 1-4 ATS in their last five road games. Bet Northwestern Saturday.

The SMU Mustangs are one of the best teams in the country that nobody is talking about. They are 7-0 SU & 6-1 ATS this season while covering the spread by a combined 81 points. They are covering by an average of 11.6 points per game, which really shows how underrated this team has been.

Now, SMU is laying less than two touchdowns to a Houston team that is in rebuilding mode. We’ll gladly back the Mustangs in what will be yet another blowout victory in their favor tonight. This is their chance to show the world how good they are with a standalone week night ESPN game, so I’m not worried at all about them having a letdown.

Houston pretty much sealed its fate when all-everything QB D’Eriq King and his favorite WR in Keith Corbin decided to redshirt after four games this season. Houston has gone 2-1 since, but just 1-2 ATS and their two wins were against North Texas and UConn. They lost by 15 at home to Cincinnati and will suffer a similar fate here against SMU.

Last week, Houston barely beat UConn 24-17 as 21.5-point favorites. That’s a UConn team that is one of the worst in all of college football. And Houston really should have lost that game as they were dominated in the box score. The Cougars managed just 286 total yards and gave up 438 yards to the Huskies, getting outgained by a whopping 152 yards.

SMU boasts a high-powered offense led by Texas transfer Shane Buechele at quarterback. They re putting up 44.3 pints and 521.1 yards per game this season. I expect them to match or exceed their season average considering they will be up against a soft Houston defense that allows 30.7 points and 473.9 yards per game this season. SMU has scored at least 41 points in six straight games, including against some good defenses in TCU, Temple and Tulsa.

I have been impressed with the improvement of SMU’s defense as much as anything this season, especially under an offensive-minded head coach like Sonny Dykes. They hold opponents to 370 yards per game and 5.0 yards per play, limiting them to 27 yards per game and 0.4 yards per play less than their season averages. So, this is an above-average defense coupled with one of the best offenses in the country. I don’t see any way Houston gets to 30 points in this one, which is at least what it will take to cover this spread.

The Cougars are 1-6 ATS in their last seven vs. a team with a winning record. Houston is 0-4 ATS in its last four conference games. Bet SMU Thursday.

The Utah State Aggies are getting treated like the team they were last year and not like the team they are this year by oddsmakers. They had one of their best seasons in program history last year and lost head coach Matt Wells to Texas Tech as a result. Former Utah State head coach Gary Anderson has returned to the program, and the cupboard was left bare as the Aggies returned only nine starters this year.

Utah State is off to a 3-2 start this season, but it only has one win by more than 10 points, and that came against FCS opponent Stony Brook. In no way should the Aggies be favored by three touchdowns over Nevada here. They only beat a bad Colorado State team 34-24 as 23.5-point favorites in their last home game, and they lost 6-42 at LSU last time out. They simply aren’t nearly as good as they were last year.

Nevada returned from its bye with a solid 41-38 home win against an improved San Jose State team last week. Nevada was up 24-3 before taking its foot off the gas, so that game was a bigger blowout than the final score showed. And it was the first start from former Florida State transfer Malik Henry at quarterback, and he was brilliant in leading the Wolf Pack to 41 points.

Henry was the #2 dual-threat QB in the country coming out of high school, but he had some depression issues at FSU that held him back. He has found a home here in Nevada now, and things are looking up for him after a great start last week. Henry threw for 352 yards and a touchdown against SJSU last week. Look for him to try and match Utah State QB Jordan Love score for score in this one.

Nevada has had Utah State’s number in recent years. Nevada is 8-3 SU in the last 11 meetings with its three losses coming by 4, 4 and 2 points. As you can see, Utah State hasn’t beaten Nevada by more than 4 points in any of the last 11 meetings, making for a perfect 11-0 system backing the Wolf Pack pertaining to this 21-point spread. The underdog is 5-0 ATS in the last five meetings. Bet Nevada Saturday.

I believe the Wake Forest Demon Deacons got the humbling they needed last week against Louisville. They opened 5-0 before losing to the Cardinals 59-62 at home last week. It was a game they deserved to win as they outgained the Cardinals by 148 yards. But because they lost that game and they aren’t 6-0 now, we are getting the Demon Deacons at only -1.5 when they would probably be more than 3-point favorites had they won that game.

Florida State’s biggest rival is Clemson, and they lost to the Tigers 14-45 last week. I think the Seminoles suffer a hangover effect from that defeat and won’t be up for Wake Forest this week as a result. Clemson outgained the Seminoles by 299 yards and held them to just 253 yards while forcing four turnovers in the win.

I realize Wake Forest QB Jamie Newman was knocked out of the Louisville game with a shoulder injury. However, I don’t think there’s any difference between Newman and backup Sam Hartman, who gained starting experience for the Demon Deacons last year and is ready to go if called upon. Hartman went 9-of-15 for 172 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for a score in place of an injured Newman last week and nearly led the comeback against Louisville.

The Seminoles will have their hands full against an explosive Wake Forest offense that puts up 39.7 points, 540 yards per game and 6.3 yards per play this season. They have a balanced attack with 209 rushing yards and 331 passing yards per game. They are very tough to tame, which is bad news for a FSU defense that allows 32.2 points and 464 yards per game.

Florida State is 1-8 ATS after playing three straight conference games over the last three seasons. The Seminoles are 0-7 ATS vs. excellent passing teams with a completion percentage of 62% or better over the last three years. Florida State is 0-3-1 ATS in its last four road games. The Demon Deacons are 4-1 ATS in their last five games following a loss. The home team is 6-2-1 ATS in the last nine meetings. Bet Wake Forest Saturday.

I’m back to fading Penn State again this week. I must really love misery. But in all seriousness, this line has gotten out of hand. It’s up to +9.5 now after opening around +7. I would consider my loss on Iowa +3.5 last week a bad beat, and the Nittany Lions are getting too much respect for that win.

The Hawkeyes outgained the Nittany Lions by 62 yards. But they missed a field goal and came up short on a 2-point conversion to lose by 5. They also fumbled a handoff inside their own 20 to gift wrap Penn State a touchdown. And Iowa also failed to score a touchdown from first and goal from the 3-yard line. Iowa was the right side in that game.

Penn State is 6-0, but they have been outgained in three of their six games. Not only were they outgained by Iowa, but they were also outgained at home by both Buffalo and Pitt. I really think this is one of the most overrated teams in the country. You’re going to hear a lot about Penn State playing at night and in a white out this week. And it seems like everyone is on the Nittany Lions because of it. I just think this is a great time to go contrarian.

Michigan can still achieve all of its goals if it wins out. I think we’re getting extra value on the Wolverines after their 42-25 win over Illinois last week. The Wolverines were up 28-0 before taking their foot off the gas. It’s like they were just ready to get to the Penn State game at halftime and forgot to play the second half.

Penn State’s offense just doesn’t have the firepower to put Michigan away by double-digits. Pitt held them to 17 points and Iowa held them to 17 points this season. And Michigan has as good or better defense than both of those teams. The Wolverines only allow 17.5 points, 283 yards per game this season and 4.2 yards per play this season. I expect this to be an ugly, low-scoring Big Ten game. So getting 9.5 points is a tremendous value.

Michigan beat Penn State 42-7 last year and held them to just 186 total yards. They outgained the Nittany Lions by 217 yards in the win. The Wolverines are now 4-1 SU & 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings. Penn State may ultimately win this game, but they have to beat us by double-digits to get the cover, and I just don’t think they can.

Plays against home favorites of 3.5 to 10 points (Penn State) - after scoring and allowing 17 points or less in their last game are 29-6 (82.9%) ATS over the last five seasons. Jim Harbaugh is 9-1 ATS vs. good rush defenses that allow 2.75 or fewer yards per carry in all games he has coached. The Nittany Lions are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games following an ATS win. Roll with Michigan Saturday.

The Texas Longhorns are in a hangover spot here from their 27-34 loss to rival Oklahoma last week. Their dreams of playing in the four-team playoff have been crushed now with losses to Oklahoma and LSU, and it’s tough to get back up off the mat after such a crushing defeat. I look for them to go through the motions this week and fail to cover this massive 21.5-point spread against Kansas.

I’ve been saying Texas is overrated since before the season, and it has proven to be true. The Longhorns were fortunate to only lose 27-34 to Oklahoma. They were outgained by 201 yards by the Sooners and outgained by 3.5 yards per play in that game. Oklahoma averaged 7.7 yards per play while Texas only averaged 4.2 yards per play and was sacked nine times. But Oklahoma had two turnovers deep in Texas territory which kept the game closer than the final score.

Now Kansas and Texas have a common opponent in Oklahoma. Kansas only lost 20-45 at home to Oklahoma and was only outgained by 191 yards in that game, covering the 32-point spread. And now the Jayhawks have had two weeks to get ready for Texas after having their bye last week. I think we get a big effort out of the Jayhawks because of it.

Kansas has been a big thorn in Texas’ side in recent years. The Jayhawks are 3-0 ATS in the last three meetings, pulling the 24-21 upset as 23.5-point dogs in 2016, only losing 27-42 as 32-point road favorites in 2017, and only losing 17-24 as 15.5-point home dogs last year. The Jayhawks just seem to get up for Texas, while the Longhorns consistently overlook them.

Texas is 0-6 ATS in home games with a total of 56.5 to 63 over the last three seasons. Kansas is 6-1 ATS in its last seven games following a loss. The Jayhawks are 4-0 ATS in their last four road games vs. a team with a winning record. Roll with Kansas Saturday.

Of all the Power 5 teams that are still undefeated, both Baylor and Minnesota are clearly the two most overrated. They are overrated because both have feasted on easy schedules, and both are very fortunate to be 6-0. The Bears should have lost to both Iowa State and Texas Tech, winning those two games by a combined 5 points. And their other four wins have come against Stephen F. Austin, Rice, UTSA and Kansas State.

Baylor has played the 96th-toughest schedule this season according to the Sagarin ratings. Oklahoma State has played the 36th-toughest schedule. That’s a 60-spot difference in strength of schedule. He actually has Oklahoma State rated higher than Baylor despite being 4-2, and I agree with him. I think we are getting the Cowboys at a massive discount as only 3-point home favorites over the Bears here.

Oklahoma State’s two losses have both come on the road to Texas (30-36) and Texas Tech (35-45). That was not a bad loss to Texas, and the loss at Texas Tech was very fluky considering the Cowboys lost the turnover battle 5-0. And I loved how QB Spencer Sanders took all the blame in the loss, saying he was solely responsible for the five turnovers and has to be better. Keep in mind Baylor needed overtime to beat Texas Tech at home.

Now, the Cowboys are in a great spot here coming off their bye week and returning home. They have only played two home games compared to four road games this year, while Baylor has played four home games compared to only two road games. And the Cowboys will be highly motivated to stay in Big 12 title contention in this must-win situation for them.

There’s on injury for Baylor that is flying under the radar and not getting priced into the line. LB Clay Johnson suffered a season-ending knee injury against Texas Tech last week. Johnson leads the team with 58 tackles, and second place on the team has 30 tackles. He is the heart and soul of the defense. Now the Bears have to try and stop a Oklahoma State rushing attack that averages 279 rushing yards per game and 5.6 per carry without Johnson. Expect Chuba Hubbard (1,094 yards, 13 TD, 6.8/carry) to have a massive day on the ground against this Baylor defense Saturday.

Over the last 10 years, when Oklahoma State has been unranked and favored at home against a ranked team, they have gone a perfect 3-0 SU & 3-0 ATS with all three wins coming by double-digits. The Cowboys are favored for good reason despite being unranked, but they aren’t favored by as much as they should be. Baylor is 1-9 ATS in its last 10 trips to Oklahoma State.

The Cowboys are 9-0 ATS in their last nine home games after a game where they committed five or more turnovers. The Cowboys are 7-0 ATS in their last seven vs. a team with a winning record. The Cowboys are 5-0 ATS in their last five home games. These three trends combine for a perfect 21-0 system backing the Cowboys. Bet Oklahoma State Saturday.

I really like the spot for Virginia here. They are coming off back-to-back road losses to Notre Dame and Miami in games they felt like they should have won. I had Virginia in both of those games and felt like I deserved to win them both as well. Now the Cavaliers are back home here and still believe they can win the Coastal, but they certainly need to beat Duke if they are going to accomplish that goal.

The Cavaliers were getting +10.5 at Notre Dame and lost by 15. They were winning outright at halftime, and they were only outgained by 5 yards in that game, but they lost by 15 because they committed five turnovers. Then last week they were getting +3 at Miami. They outgained the Hurricanes by 61 yards and shut down the Miami offense. But Virginia left a ton of points in the board. The Cavaliers had six trips inside the Miami 25-yards line and managed just 9 points in a 9-17 loss. They failed to score a single touchdown.

Now, it’s a great time to buy low on the Cavaliers after those two losses where they probably deserved to win both and should be 6-0. And it’s time to sell high on Duke, which is coming off a misleading 41-23 home win over Georgia Tech, which is the worst team in the ACC. The Blue Devils won by 18 and covered the 17.5-point spread despite getting outgained by the Yellow Jackets.

This will easily be Duke’s toughest test since their 42-3 loss to Alabama in the opener. Their last five games since have come against NC A&T, Middle Tennessee, VA Tech, Pitt and Georgia Tech. And it’s worth noting that Duke lost at home to Pitt 30-33, while Virginia won 30-14 at Pitt to give these teams a common opponent.

Virginia owns Duke, going 4-0 SU & 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings while winning all four games by 7 points or more. And those were some pretty poor Virginia teams, while this 2019 version is the best team they have had in years. Duke is a team that likes to run the ball, averaging 183 yards per game on the ground. They’ll get plenty of resistance from a Virginia defense that gives up just 90 rushing yards per game and 2.7 per carry. That makes this a great matchup for the Cavaliers. Take Virginia Saturday.

The betting public wants nothing to do with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets right now. They are 1-5 SU & 0-6 ATS this season, failing to cover a spread yet. It was easy to see this was going to be a rebuilding year for the Yellow Jackets this season as they made the transition from Paul Johnson’s triple-option to Geoff Collins’ pro-style offense.

After a slow start, I have seen some real signs of progress by the Yellow Jackets, and I think it’s time to ‘buy low’ on them now. Two of their last three losses have been very misleading. They lost 2-24 at Temple but were only outgained by 18 yards. And last week they lost 23-41 at Duke, but actually outgained the Blue Devils by 6 yards. If they can finish equal in stats against those two teams, they certainly can hang with Miami this week.

I think it’s a great time to ’sell high’ on Miami off its misleading 17-9 home win over Virginia last week. The Hurricanes deserved to lose that game as they were outgained by 62 yards by Virginia. The Cavaliers had six trips inside the Miami 25-yard line, but only managed 9 points and didn’t score a single touchdown. I think the Hurricanes are now in a big letdown spot off that primetime win on National TV.

And there were some real concerns about Miami coming into that Virginia game. They had lost 35-42 at home to a Virginia Tech team that looked like they quit the previous week. And before that, they only beat Central Michigan 17-12 at home as 30.5-point favorites. This still isn’t a very good Miami team, and certainly not the type of team that should be laying a huge number to Georgia Tech here.

Georgia Tech hasn’t lost by more than 17 points to Miami in any of the last eight meetings in this series, making for a perfect 8-0 system backing the Yellow Jackets pertaining to this 18.5-point spread. The Hurricanes are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 games after scoring less than 20 points in their previous game.

Plays on any team (Georgia Tech) - after five or more consecutive losses against the spread against an opponent that is off one or more consecutive ATS wins are 41-13 (75.9%) ATS over the last five seasons. This system just shows how profitable it is to back a team on a long ATS losing streak against a team on a winning ATS streak. Take Georgia Tech Saturday.

The Fresno State Bulldogs are one of the most overrated teams in the country this season. That’s because they covered a combined 20 spread over the previous two seasons. But that was a veteran team, and the Bulldogs are a young, inexperienced team now that returned only nine starters this year. This is clearly a rebuilding season, but they keep getting priced like they are one of the best teams in the Mountain West.

The Bulldogs are 2-3 SU & 1-3-1 ATS this season. Their only two wins both came against worse teams than UNLV and both by 14 points or less. They beat Sacramento State 34-20 as 24.5-point home favorites and New Mexico State 30-17 as 21-point road favorites. This game will be decided by 14 points or less as well.

UNLV has really impressed me in its last two games. The Rebels hung tough with Boise State for four quarters. They were only down 18 with two minutes left but missed an extra point. Then Boise State returned the onside kick inside the 10 and punched it in for a TD late to win by 25 and cover the 24.5-point spread.

Last week, UNLV’s 34-10 win at Vanderbilt as 16-point underdogs was no fluke. The Rebels outgained the Commodores 388 to 306 and were only +1 in turnovers. That victory certainly gives this team a lot of confidence heading into this showdown with Fresno State.

UNLV is a good rushing team that averages 180 rushing yards per game. The Rebels ran for 206 yards on Vanderbilt last week, and they should find plenty of success on the ground against a Fresno State defense that is allowing 156 rushing yards per game. They gave up 175 rushing yards to USC, 146 to Minnesota and 340 to Air Force last week in their 24-43 loss to the Falcons.

In their last trip to Fresno State, UNLV won outright 26-16 as 21.5-point underdogs in 2017. Plays on road underdogs of 10.5 to 21 points (UNLV) - off one or more consecutive unders, an average offensive team (21 to 28 PPG) against a good offensive team (28 to 34 PPG) are 26-5 (83.9%) ATS over the last five seasons. Tony Sanchez is 16-7 ATS as a road underdog as the coach of UNLV. The Rebels are 11-5 ATS in their last 16 road games. Bet UNLV Friday.